Looping, oh the fun!
by Loner Kid
Summary: Naruto and Sasuke are looping, and they're bored. They've already destroyed Konoha 15 times, taken over the world 15 times, gathered a harem 20 times and failed each time, joined ANBU 78 times, created their own villages over 30 times... What should they do now? (very slow updates)
1. Prologue

**Looping, oh the fun!**

 **BY: Loner Kid**

 **Summary:** Naruto and Sasuke are looping, and they're bored. They've already destroyed Konoha 15 times, taken over the world 15 times, gathered a harem 20 times and failed each time, joined ANBU 78 times, created their own villages over 30 times... What should they do now? Updates every Friday

 **Disclaimer:** don't own.

 **AN:** corrected some errors

* * *

 **Prologue**

Two people were lying on a futon, gazing lazily at the sky with half-lidded eyes.

"So, what should we do this time around?"

"Gather a harem?"

"Won't work. Remember what happened last time with Anko?"

"Damn it."

"How 'bout destroy Konoha?"

"Done that 15 times already."

"Take over the world?"

"Successfully 15 times, unsuccessfully 9 times. I'm bored with it."

"Join ANBU?"

"Done that 78 times already."

"Send a Death Note **(1)** to Oro-chan and laugh at his reactions?"

"Not fun enough."

"Turn Oro-chan into a kid?"

"Do you even know how to make APTX4869 **(2)**?"

"Damn. I should've asked Sherry during that loop."

"How about a zombie apocalypse **(3)**?"

"How?"

"Mass genjutsu."

"You have enough chakra for that?"

"Damn."

"What about mess with people's mind?"

"We've been doing that every time."

"Damn it."

"Create our own village?"

" _Another_ one? We already have Ramen Village, Tomato Village, Snake Village, Fox Village, Hot and Sexy Village, Toad Village..."

"Alright alright, that's enough. Hell knows how you manage to remember all the names."

"Cuz I'm a genius."

"No you're not, _I_ am."

"You're not."

"I am."

"You're not."

"I am."

"..."

"...talk about immature."

"Hey you started!"

"And you followed the trend."

"Teme."

"Dobe."

"...ANYWAY, back onto the topic. What should we do this time around?"

"...something we haven't done before?"

"Obviously...what haven't we done before?"

"...write "Yaoi Paradise" and become popular?"

"I _dare_ you."

"Never mind then. But becoming popular is a good idea."

"Done that before, as ANBU, as Hokage, as Hunter-nin's, as 'The Next Sannin,' as missing-nin's..."

"But not as celebrities."

"Hm...that's a good idea. So you want to become a movie star?"

"I'm thinking more on the vocal side."

"Singer? You know I can't sing."

"That's your opinion."

"...are you complimenting me?"

"Hm? Did you say something?"

"You suck at imitating Kakashi."

"I know, you don't have to say it you know." Sniff. "You've wounded me."

"Sasuke, you are acting OOC."

"And you are breaking the fourth wall."

"It's not called breaking if the wall never existed."

"True that. We did live on the other side of the wall sometimes during some loops." Pause. "But not in this loop, therefore you're breaking the fourth wall."

"Anyway, say that we're gonna become singers. The question remains. _How_?"

"What do you mean how? It's easy. Sing a song. Perform it to the world. Become popular. Done."

"You know how to sing!?"

"You'd be surprised." That damn smirk again.

"And how do we perform? Where's the music? Who would play the instruments?"

"Use your brain dobe. One word. Shadow Clone."

"...that's 2 words."

"Blame the author for missing this error."

"You're breaking the fourth wall Sasuke."

"And we've used computers enough times to know how to create music with simple softwares."

"It's not called 'simple' if it requires advanced computer programming...AND DON'T IGNORE ME!"

"Don't worry, leave it to the great Uchiha-sama. After all, I've been friends with Lucifer for over 4 years before he returned to Ente Isla **(4)**."

"Fine then, I'll leave that to you. Now, how do we perform? ...AND I SAID DON'T IGNORE ME!"

"Live? Or computer-generated? There're many ways. What we should worry about is what songs to sing."

"I'm not turning into a girl...AND STOP IGNORING ME!"

"I didn't say that. We know enough good male songs to avoid the female songs...for a while."

"SO YOU _WERE_ THINKING OF MAKING ME SING THE FEMALE PART! AND I SAID STOP IGNORING ME!"

"Well, our first song has to be attention-grabbing enough to leave a big impression. What songs do you suggest?"

"Loituma Girl?"

"Didn't you say you don't want a female song? Besides, you can sing that fast? Because I can't."

"Evil series?"

"Won't leave an impression big enough without the video."

"A Clingy Boy Sticking for 15 Years?"

"That...might actually work! Alright, we'll do that."

"Good... HEY YOU MADE ME FORGET! DON'T IGNORE ME!"

"And see you guys next chapter!"

"AND STOP BREAKING THE FOURTH WALL!"

* * *

 **AN:** This fic is about Naruto and Sasuke becoming celebrities, and I wanted to start this off with their _trying_ to become singers (you'll understand why I add the italics later on). And also, this fic will be different from the other song fics you may have read.

 **(1)Death Note:** whoever's name written in it will die, from the anime "Death Note"

 **(2)APTX4869:** a pill that can turn one into a kid, from "Detective Conan" aka "Case Closed"

 **(3)zombie apocalypse:** I'm sure you all know what this is, since this has shown in multiple movies and anime. Basically people turn into zombies, and those that're bitten by zombies will turn into zombies too. The only way to defeat a zombie is by smashing its head. I took this from the anime "High School of the Dead"

 **(4)Lucifer** & **Ente Isla:** After Demon Lord Satan failed to conquer Ente Isla, he escaped to an alternate universe-modern Tokyo, Japan. Powerless and poor, he and one of his generals Alciel decided to stay low and get a job in order to stay alive, while finding a way to replenish their magic so they can return to Ente Isla and conquer it. Lucifer is one of his generals who was 'killed' by Hero Emilia. Unknowing to them, Lucifer also traveled to Tokyo after them, hoping to kill Satan in his vulnerable state and become the new Demon Lord. He was later defeated by Satan and lived with them ever since. Somehow, he's quite good at computers (especially hacking and programming).


	2. Chapter 1 Changing the Timeline

**Disclaimer:** don't own

 **AN:** corrected some errors

* * *

 **Chapter 1 Changing the Timeline**

"Class is over! Remember, tomorrow is the graduation exam! Remember to practice the three basic jutsus! And don't be late!"

Iruka stormed out of the noisy classroom. Tomorrow is the exam, and unbeknownst to the students, he was actually the most nervous one. Graduating means sending them off onto the battlefield, which is not a safe place to be. Numerous genins have failed to live past their first C rank. Iruka knew many of his students doesn't need his worrying, like Uchiha Sasuke for example, but some do, like Haruno Sakura, who's book-smart but terrible at Taijutsu. She can pass the exam, Iruka's sure about that, but her fangirl personality may lead her to her doom.

The student who worried him the most, however, was Uzumaki Naruto, the Kyuubi host. His taijutsu skills were barely average, genjutsu skills were non-existent, knowledge about the ninja world was below average, and ninjutsu skills were average, which was only due to the fact that he could produce a solid transformation and a proficient kawarimi. All these poor marks earned him the 'deadlast' title in the class.

Unlike the other students, Naruto had failed the graduation exam two times already (because he stupidly thought that he can pass it when he's only three years into the academy and being the 'deadlast'). Both were due to the fact that he couldn't perform a workable clone. This year, Iruka has mentioned the words "chakra control" more often than usual, hoping Naruto can get the hint and practice controlling his massive chakra. Telling Naruto in a more straightforward manner won't work on him, because he never listens. To him, pranks were always a number one priority on his list of things-to-do (unbelievably that did earn him fantastic stealth).

If Naruto failed the exam this time, then he would lose his chance to become a ninja forever. Iruka couldn't help but worry about his favorite student's fate.

Walking around the corner, Iruka quickly twisted out of the way before bumping into the person.

"I'm so sorry! Are you al-"

"Iruka-sensei?"

Iruka looked up. Standing in front of him with a wide, familiar smile on his face was Uzumaki Naruto, the one causing him the headache that has been forming.

"Naruto? What are you doing here near the teacher's lounge?"

"I want to ask you something, Iruka sensei." Naruto whispered, "do you know what jutsu we will need to perform tomorrow, for the exam?"

"Naruto! I can't tell you that!" Iruka jumped back, eyes widening.

"Eh~? Not even a hint?"

"No means no. It's against the rules."

"So if there're no rules, does that mean you will tell me?" Naruto smirked in a foxy manner.

"Urgh-"

Damn, who knew Naruto can be quite sneaky?

"Fine then, I'll go ask Mizuki sensei then." Naruto sighed dramatically. "And here I was thinking my favorite sensei can provide me help when everyone else just shunned me away."

Hearing that made Iruka frown sorrowfully. "I'm sorry Naruto, but as your teacher I can't help you cheat. I'm sure Mizuki sensei will say that too."

"Who knows? Maybe Mizuki sensei will help me, since my passing the exam means I will no longer be in his class, which I'm sure will make him all happy and giddily seeing how much he hates me."

If Iruka was surprised that Naruto knew Mizuki hated him, he didn't show.

"Anyway, good luck then. Be sure to practice your clone jutsu more, that's what you're poorest at." Iruka said, hoping Naruto would get the hint. He wasn't expecting an approval, but he did.

"Thanks for the advice, Iruka sensei. I knew it, my katra control is terrible. Well, see you tomorrow!"

Iruka watched Naruto skip away with a confused expression. Did Naruto just listened to his lecture and...and...agreed to it?

He seriously needed a drink right now.

* * *

"I'm home!"

Naruto shouted as he opened the door with a loud 'bang'.

"When did my compound become your home?" Sasuke grunted, fingers flying across the keyboard of a modified, more advanced computer.

"Since day one." Naruto glanced at the pile of...well...junk next to Sasuke. "What are those for?"

"These are gonna help us perform."

"Those _junks_?"

"You'll be surprised at what they can create." Sasuke said, eyes not leaving the monitor screen. "Learned that from Sharaku **(1)**. Quite an useful quirk, that is, though odd it may be."

"'The Prince of Darkness'?"

"Yes, that Sharaku. Remember that loop where I helped him destroy the world?"

"And killed me in the process? _Of course_ I remember it."

"Not my fault! He's the one who did it. Besides, all boys would choose a girl over a boy."

"So if you have to choose between Sakura and I, you would choose her?"

"Obviously, since you and I are immortal in a sense. If I killed you, I'd just see you in our next loop again. So no big deal."

"You're evil!"

"Thanks for the compliment."

"Anyway, I gotta go." Naruto said as he opened Sasuke's wardrobe, ignoring the raven's protests, and took out a shinobi black shirt and trouser.

"What are you doing?"

"Changing the timeline a little. Failing the graduation exam 100 times can cause one brain trauma, you know." Naruto changed quickly and attached his weapon pouch to his leg.

"Try avoiding troubles."

"Troubles usually find me, mother."

"Then kick it away like Kubinashi's head **(2)**."

"Got it, mother!"

* * *

 **AN:** As you can see, this fic will have many anime references because Naruto and Sasuke have traveled to many anime worlds in their looping (including our world). It's alright if you don't get some of the hidden jokes, since they won't affect the overall plot.

 **(1) Sharaku:** He's the main character in "The Three-Eyed One" by Osamu Tezuka, who's known to be the "Godfather of Anime." Sharaku's the last descendant of the 'Three-Eyed Ones', and in order to stop him from showing his true, evil side, his 'father' covered his third eye with a X-shaped bandage. Whenever the bandage is peeled off (mostly by using oil), he will start his plans to 'take over the world' aka destroy everything he sees. He has an odd tendency to use materials from the trash to build technologies that can help him take over the world.

 **(2) Kubinashi's head:** Kubinashi is a youkai who doesn't have a neck, so his head floats around. In some scenes other youkai's would kick his head around lol. He's from the anime "Nurarihyon no Mago."


	3. Chapter 2 The Act

**Disclaimer:** Not mine, never mine.

 **WARNING:** some fluffiness

* * *

 **Chapter 2 The Act**

Sarutobi wasn't as good as the the Forth Hokage when it came to seals, but he knew enough to create seals that can protect his house and alert him when there're intruders. Therefore, it was unquestionably shocking when he returned home one night to find the Forbidden Scroll stolen.

Immediately, he thought about alerting his ANBU to gather all the jounin and chunin to perform a search, but a foreign presence in the room tingled his senses. He quickly threw a kunai at the spot. As the kunai landed in the wall, a figure stumbled out of the shadow with a yelp.

Blond hair, black shirt and pants, and an expression of fear and panic, which was quite unusual to see on the normally hyperactive blond's face.

"Naruto? What are you doing in my house, with _that_ scroll?" Sarutobi demanded. He couldn't let down his guard yet because it's possible that Naruto was just an imposer.

"J-jiji..." Naruto stuttered, cerulean eyes looking downcast, tears on the verge of falling. His hands were quivering as he loosened his grip on the scroll. "I-I'm sorry, I know I p-probably shouldn't do this b-but...I'm sorry...I didn't mean to, b-but I re-ally wanna graduate...and he t-told me to wait b-but he wasn't there and I d-didn't know what to d-do so I came b-back b-but then you came and I don't wanna get in trouble but-"

"Naruto! It's alright! Calm down." Sarutobi placed a soothing hand on the boy's trembling form. "I can't understand if you start rambling."

"I-I'm sorry, jiji." Naruto wiped his sleeve across his eyes. "I-I didn't mean to. I'm sorry. I know something's wrong, b-but I just can't help it."

"Naruto, why don't you start from the beginning?"

"W-well..." Naruto fidgeted, eyes darting around the room. It was clear that he was debating whether to tell the truth. "I...I...I stopped by Mizuki-sensei after class today...and...asked him if he can tell me some ways I can practice my katra control. B-because Iruka-sensei told me that I failed bunshin no jutsu because my katra control is horrible...so I thought maybe Mizuki-sensei can help me with it. I-I don't wanna fail the exam _again_ because of the jutsu, so I aught to pass it this time. And Mizuki-sensei told me that..."

Sarutobi waited patiently, but Naruto didn't go on, so he urged, "what did he tell you, Naruto? Don't worry, you can tell jiji anything."

Naruto sniffed. "He told me that...the reason why I can never do the bunshin...is that..." he took an intake of breath and closed his eyes. "I have the Kyuubi sealed inside of me!"

Sarutobi stilled. Did that man really-

"And because the demon is made of tons of katra, my katra coil is very big, and it is very hard to control. But the bunshin jutsu need very good katra control, so I will never be able to do it. T-then he told me there is a way to pass the exam. He said that I don't necessarily need to do the bunshin jutsu to pass, just any jutsu that creates a clone works."

Sarutobi was so engaged in Naruto's confession that he didn't notice how although Naruto couldn't pronounce "chakra" correctly, he had said the harder word "necessarily" correctly.

"And he said that there's a big scroll in your house that contained a bunshin jutsu that can help me pass the test, because I can do it easily with my big katra coil. I just need to borrow the scroll and bring it to the clearing we agreed on, then he'd help me learn the jutsu, then I can return it when I'm done. I brought the scroll there, and waited, but Mizuki-sensei didn't show up, so I tried learning the jutsu myself, and I did it in about 10 attempts. But Mizuki-sensei still didn't come, so I learned some other jutsu in there... Then I came across some really... _really_ nasty ones, and I thought that maybe I'm not supposed to touch this scroll-"

 _You realized too late, Naruto._ Sarutobi sighed. This boy was too naive. One day it'll bring him dire consequences.

"-so I thought maybe Mizuki-sensei isn't coming, and maybe I should return the scroll. So I came here. I was 'bout to return it but then you came in. But then I can't stop thinking what if I'm in trouble for borrowing this scroll, since you looked so angry...and..."

Sarutobi took a moment to compose himself.

"So...am I in trouble?" Naruto asked tentatively.

Instead of answering Naruto, Sarutobi called upon the ANBUs who were hiding in the shadows (eavesdropping) and ordered them to gather all the jounin and chunin to capture Mizuki.

"Jiji? Is Mizuki-sensei in trouble?"

"Naruto...what you have stolen is called the Forbidden Scroll. It contained all the jutsu the Hokage(s) deemed extremely dangerous and thus forbidden to be learned." Sarutobi explained as Naruto widened his eyes. "Thus, yes, Mizuki _and you_ are both in trouble. But!" He said quickly before the panicking boy can utter a thing. "We will investigate into this matter, and most likely you will free from charges because you were just following a superior's order."

Naruto shifted uncomfortably on the rock hard ground. "I'm sorry." He murmured as he handed the scroll to the Sandaime.

Sarutobi smiled and took the scroll from Naruto. The scroll was covered in dirt and scratches, showing just how hard Naruto had been practicing.

"So...what will happen to Mizuki-sensei?"

"He will be placed in the T&I department so we can investigate this matter further."

"Oh...and jiji?"

"Yes?"

"Can you explain to me...about the Kyuubi?" Naruto looked hesitant. "Is that the reason why everyone hates me?"

"Naruto. You have to understand that they don't hate you." Sarutobi placed his hands on Naruto's shoulders. Through the thin fabric, he froze when he realized just how thin Naruto was. _I have to remember to tell Ichiraku to make some changes to their recipe. No wonder Naruto is so short._

"You're lying! They hate me! Everyone hates me! You think I don't what they say behind my back do you?! I know more than you think I do!" Naruto yelled, face reddening as he thought back to the hateful words directed to him. "Demon brat! Kyuubi brat! Kick me out if I dared to enter a restaurant! Charge me twice as much if I attempt to buy _anything_! Tell their children to hate me, stay away from me! Tell me then! If they don't hate me then why would they do that!?"

Sarutobi was stunned at the raw emotions the boy was showing. Naruto had never shown anyone how he truly felt. He may seem like someone who can never hold a secret, but he's actually more than capable to hide his true emotions. He never cries in front of people; he never let anyone know how he really felt. He always hides behind his goggles, his knucklehead persona. This was the first time Sarutobi had ever seen Naruto break down.

"Naruto..."

"I know they hate me! Everyone hate me! I bet even my hero the Fourth Hokage hates me! That must be why he chose to seal the Kyuubi inside of me! Maybe even my parents hate me, if I have any! Maybe even you _hate_ me-"

Naruto was cut off with a tight embrace. He blinked, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Naruto, I'm sorry for never telling you this. I wanted to protect you. I thought this is the best for you. That's why I never told you anything. I'm sorry for being so selfish, for not realizing how much pain you're in." Sarutobi patted the boy's back as he decided to spill the beans. "Naruto, the reason why the Fourth Hokage chose you to seal the Kyuubi in is...that you're his son."

Surprised to not hear any reaction from Naruto, Sarutobi leaned back, but was stopped when thin arms wrapped around his back.

"Jiji, thanks for trying to comfort me, even if it's a lie."

"Naruto it's not a lie!" Sarutobi broke himself from the hug and stared into the boy's eyes. "Your father is the Fourth Hokage. I never told you this because your father has many enemies, and if they found out that you're his son, you will be in danger."

"Then he must hates me if he sealed the Kyuubi inside of me!"

"He doesn't!" Sarutobi was getting tired of this conversation. Who knew the boy was so pessimistic? "Trust me, your father doesn't want to do that either. You weren't his option, but what parents would want their child to have a demon sealed inside of him or her? Leaving with either do nothing and let the demon destroy the village, or seal the demon in his own child, your father chose the latter. What kind of Hokage is he if he can't sacrifice his son for the village? A Hokage's job is to ensure the safety of the village. The village always comes first, no matter what."

"Then I don't want to become the Hokage," Naruto pouted.

Sarutobi was shocked to say the least.

"If I have a son, I will never do this to him. I won't let anyone live through the life I'd lived. Even if it cost me the entire village." Naruto muttered. "So I guess I'm not fit to be a Hokage eh?"

"Naruto..."

"I know how much it hurts to have people hate you for something you have no control of. It's not my fault to jail the Kyuubi! Why can't the villagers see that? I'm sorry jiji but I'm not kind enough to let anyone else live my life. Does that mean I'm a bad person?"

"Naruto...you're not a bad person." Sarutobi ruffled the boy's hair. "A person can't be truly bad if he made the choice to protect somebody, even if the choice require many sacrifices. You may not fit a Hokage's role, but you will be a good ninja. A good comrade. A good father."

"Jiji...thank you, for telling me everything." Naruto smiled. "Now that I know the villagers are idiots, my A.T. field **(1)** can finally work to its full scale."

 _AT field?_

"What do you mean?"

"After all," Naruto smiled. "The villagers must be idiots if they can't tell the difference between a prison and a prisoner."

"So true, so true." Sarutobi laughed, ruffling the boy's hair. Naruto seemed to be smarter than he appeared to be. Sarutobi mentally reminded himself that appearance can be fake. "Well, it's getting very late and you have an exam tomorrow. Why don't you go home and get some rest? We can continue this conversation tomorrow after your exam is over."

"Alright jiji! Thanks again for everything!" Naruto was gone before Sarutobi could murmur a reply. He was once again marveled by the boy's amazing speed. _No wonder he could escape all the ANBU chasing after him during his pranks._

Minutes later, his room was crowded with ninjas.

Two ANBUs, a cat and wolf masked, were holding a struggling Mizuki down.

"Hokage-sama! What's the meaning of this!" Mizuki cried, panic seeping through his voice.

Sarutobi narrowed his eyes.

"That's what we're going to talk about right now."

* * *

 **(1) A.T. Field:** came from EVA, stands for "Absolute Terror Field." It's a barrier that both Angels and Evangelions can generate to protect themselves.

Thank you for reading! Leave a review if you can! Thank you :)


	4. Chapter 3 Kakashi's Suspicion

**Disclaimer:** Sadly I can't think of anything interesting to say in the disclaimer. Unlike some creative authors TAT. So I'll just go with "Not mine, never mine." Short and to the point xD

* * *

 **Chapter 3 Kakashi's Suspicion**

"Hokage-sama! What's the meaning of this!" Mizuki cried, an expression of fear and panic climbing onto his face as he saw Chakra-Suppressing Seals being slapped onto him. He was on his way home when he was ambushed by dozens of ANBU and jounins. Before he could react, he has been paralyzed, tied, and shunshin-ed to the Hokage's office.

"Mizuki, you're under charges for attempting to use Uzumaki Naruto to steal the Forbidden Scroll. Aside from that, you're sentenced to death no matter the results of the charges because you've revealed Naruto's jinchuuriki status to him." Sarutobi said. Ignoring Mizuki's cry of protests, he ushered the ANBUs to take him to the T&I department.

"Inoichi, can you help take a look into his mind?"

"Of course, Hokage-sama." Inoichi shunshin-ed away, leaving a room full of perplexed ninjas.

"Hokage-sama, did Mizuki really tell Naruto to steal the Forbidden Scroll?" A chunin baring a scar across his nose stood out.

Iruka.

One of the few people who actually cared for Naruto.

Sarutobi sighed. "Yes. Moments before Mizuki was brought in, Naruto had just left my office. Apparently, Mizuki told Naruto to steal the scroll and wait for him at a certain area, but he never showed up. So after digging through the scroll for a while, Naruto _finally_ realized that something's not right, so he came to return the scroll."

Most people sweat-dropped at the emphasis. How _slow_ is the boy?

"Wait! What do you mean by 'digging through' the scroll?" Iruka pointed out.

Sarutobi smiled. "It seemed that Naruto had managed to learn some jutsus before he came across some ' _really nasty ones_.'"

"W-what jutsus did he learn?" All the ninjas were listening attentively. After all, they're curious of what the deadlast managed to learn from the _Forbidden_ Scroll.

"Well, we'll leave that to Kakashi to find out."

All eyes were directed to a masked jounin with his headband covering his left eye.

Kakashi, however, was suspicious.

"Hokage-sama, are you sure that Naruto...is telling truth?"

Immediately a heated glare was directed to him.

"I trust Naruto, Kakashi. I trust him with my life. The raw emotions he'd shown to me could not be an act. It's the first time I've seen him break down." Sarutobi closed his eyes, remembering Naruto's tears-stained face and cerulean eyes that were swimming with emotions.

"I trust Uzumaki Naruto with my life," he repeated.

Kakashi retorted, "I'm not saying that Naruto was lying, Hokage-sama, but don't you find it strange that Mizuki left Naruto in the clearing all by himself? If he's planning to take the scroll for himself, then why didn't he show up? When we found him, he was calmly walking back home with a plate of dango in his hand. It just seemed to me that something isn't right."

"Everything will be revealed tomorrow after T&I department is done interrogating Mizuki." Sarutobi waved his hand in dismissal. "Please return home and get a good night rest. Everyone's dismissed." Everyone shunshin-Ed away except his personal ANBUs. "Fox, Snake, I want you to watch over Naruto. Make sure he doesn't do anything stupid after tonight's revelation."

"Yes sir!"

* * *

"And because Jiji saw my vulnerable side, he decided to tell me the whole truth. So now if I, _we_ , accidentally spilled some beans, the result wouldn't be that dire, since now we have a reason to know these information." Naruto concluded. Currently, he's back in the Uchiha Compound, talking excessively while Sasuke was busy typing incomprehensible codes into the modified computer.

"Good work. But what about Mizuki? He's actually 'innocent' this time, so what would you do when they found out the truth? That everything you've said was a lie?"

"Com'on Sasuke, did you forget who we are?" Naruto looked devastated.

"I'm not senile yet, unlike you. I know I'm Sasuke."

"And I know that I'm Menma," Naruto joked. "What I mean is did you forget that we're 'loopers'? We are immortal! We are powerful! We are godlike beings! We can go to alternate universes and learn their techniques! Something no one else can do, except you and I! You think I can't take care of a simple little thing like a memory problem?"

"Then how're you gonna do it?" Sasuke quickly cut off Naruto's rant before it gets too long.

"I'm not telling yeah, since you called me 'senile.'"

"Hmph. I'll find out sooner or later anyway."

"Bleh, We'll see."

* * *

 **AN:** Only 860 words. Short chapter, yeah, sorry, but I can't think of anything else to add. This seemed like a good place to end.

See you next chapter! Reviews would be great :))


	5. Chapter 4 Graduation Exam

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto. Kishimoto does.

 **AN:** Looking for a beta for this story. I want someone who is good at spotting plot holes, and focusing on details and characters. Grammar comes second. Lastly, he/she have to be able to finish editing the chapter in less than week.

* * *

 **Chapter 4 Graduation Exam**

"And now we'll begin the final portion of the exam! Come in when I call your name! First up, Yuri Akihisa!" Iruka called out to the class, his gaze lingering on Naruto for a while before entering the unoccupied testing room next door. After hearing about what happened yesterday from the Hokage, Iruka couldn't help but worry about the boy.

Learning jutsus (and not just one, but many!) from the _Forbidden_ Scroll, finding out about his burden, being betrayed by a trusted adult...all that happened in one night? Could the boy handle it all?

Iruka was surprised to find Mizuki's attempt to get the boy in trouble, but he couldn't say that he hadn't seen it coming. After all, being with Mizuki for so many years, Iruka could tell if his friend was lying or not. Every time Mizuki looked at Naruto, he'd have a strange, dangerous glint in his eyes that only those trained, or those who were used to it, could tell. Even more, whenever it's Naruto's turn in a taijutsu match against Mizuki, he'd always get the hardest punches and kicks.

Iruka had told Mizuki to look underneath the underneath, and how Naruto wasn't the Kyuubi. His friend had listened, and complied; he had began to treat Naruto better, but the glint in his eyes never vanished. And now, Mizuki had to suffer because of his unfair hatred for something the boy had no control of. Iruka felt bad for the way Mizuki's life will end, but he doesn't pity the man because he had tried to reason with him, yet he didn't listen.

Mizuki's execution was probably going to happen in the next few days, and most likely it was going to be held in secret. The Hokage had made everything that happened yesterday a S-ranked secret. After all, it'd do no good if the villagers knew how Naruto didn't just learned _forbidden_ and _dangerous_ jutsus, but also found out about his own burden, wouldn't it? They'd probably think the 'demon brat' was rising in power and was going to unleash Kyuubi's fury upon them all, not that they don't deserve it for the horrible ways they'd been treating the boy.

Of course, due to it's being a S-ranked secret, Iruka didn't tell the class the truth about Mizuki's absence. He merely told them that the man was sick and couldn't show up today. And since all the students were most likely going to graduate today, they'd have no time to worry about their old _academy_ instructor's well-being when they were finally ninjas.

Iruka watched as Yuri stepped into the testing room nervously. She was chewing on her lips and her body was stiff. Yuri was an average student. She could pass if she did her best. But if her anxiety distracted her, her performance would most likely be of poor quality. So Iruka did her best to sooth the girl.

"B-bunshin no jutsu!"

Poof!

Beside her appeared two clones, looking a little ashen, but they were standing firmly on the ground alright. To pass the test, the student will have to make two clones that could be useful in a battle. Yuri's clones may not be the best, but they should work.

"Congratulation, you passed."

Iruka smiled and handed her a blue headband. The girl was skipping merrily when she exited the door proudly with her headband tied on her forehead for all to see.

The testing continued. Haruno Sakura had excellent chakra control, so she passed the test easily. Uchiha Sasuke...there's nothing that needed to be said about him. Before Iruka had even written down the boy's name onto the grading sheet, Sasuke had already performed two clones wordlessly. The boy wasn't known as the Rookie of The Year for nothing.

And now, finally, it's Uzumaki Naruto's turn.

Iruka watched as the boy opened the door, closed it, and stepped in front of him, all the while bearing a serious expression.

"To pass the exam, you'll have to perform the bunshin no jutsu," Iruka explained. It's getting tiring saying the same exact sentence for over 30 times.

"Does any bunshin jutsu work?" Naruto asked. Iruka raised an eyebrow. Does the boy know any other bunshin jutsus?

"Yes, as long as you can make two workable clones, you can pass."

"Alright then!" Iruka watched as Naruto placed his hands into a cross seal. _Isn't that the-!_ "Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!" The boy yelled as white smoke filled the room. When it disappeared, Iruka was surrounded with over 30 Narutos, crowding in the room. Some were even standing on top of another. "So, did I pass?" All of them said at once.

"O-of course. Congratulation, Naruto, you've passed," Iruka said as the clones poof-ed out of existence, then handed the original Naruto a blue headband, but surprisingly, the boy didn't take it.

"Actually, Iruka-sensei, can I take a black one?"

"Of course." Naruto took the black headband offered to him. "But why? I thought you like blue because you were always wearing blue and orange."

"Iruka-sensei... I'm sure you know, that as an orphan, sometimes you can't refuse to do something simply because you don't like it. You have to do it, because it's your only choice." Naruto began in a sorrowful tone. His hands gripping the headband tightly. "I didn't wear this jumpsuit because I like it. It's because this is the only clothes the shop was willing to sell to me."

Iruka listened with thoughtful eyes. He thought he understood the boy, but it appeared that he hadn't looked deep enough.

"Naruto..."

"Anyway, I'm glad that I passed!" In the blink of an eye, Naruto had reverted back to his happy self. "Thank you Iruka-sensei for teaching me and being nice to me! I won't ever forget you! I hope we can meet at Ichiraku Ramen again!"

"I bet that your real thoughts! That you won't forget me merely because I buy you ramen!" Iruka yelled after Naruto as he watched Naruto jogged out the room happily.

It doesn't matter whether Naruto remembers him or not. He'd be satisfied with being the 'person who I felt happy every time I thought of him though I forgot who he is.' He just hoped that he had made a positive influence to Naruto's life.

* * *

As Naruto exited the testing room, he felt many burning gazes directed towards him. Some filled with fear and hatred, like those of two civilian women, who were most likely wondering just how powerful the 'demon brat' was now that he's a ninja. While others were filled with shocking disbelief, like the gaze of Haruno Sakura, along with her opened mouth and bulging eyes had made her look quite comically. Naruto wished he had a camera right now.

Naruto looked around, and saw Sasuke sitting on that swing underneath the tree, waiting for Naruto. He smiled when he saw the black headband on Naruto's hands. Naruto was about to walk towards him, when a familiar voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Congratulation, Naruto, for passing the exam."

He turned, and saw the Third Hokage's walking towards him, leaving behind a confused crowd of people who doesn't know why the Hokage came personally.

"Jiji!" Naruto said, surprised. He doesn't even had to fake it because he was genuinely surprised. In all the loops he'd been through, the Third Hokage had never visited him personally on the exam day. Naruto knew what had caused the change in this loop, of course. "Look! I passed! I'm a ninja now!"

Sarutobi smiled as he stared at the metal plate of the black headband that was inches away from his eyes. He quickly pushed the headband to the side, and said, "Naruto, let's go to my office. We should continue our discussion from yesterday."

"Of course! Let's go jiji!"

Naruto cheered as he followed the Hokage, leaving the academy. However, he secretly made a unique hand-sign, he'd created himself, behind his back, knowing Sasuke was watching, that gestured for Sasuke to return home and don't wait for him.

He knew this will take more than a while.

* * *

 **AN:** Short chapter, but at least it's longer than the last one, neh? 1474 words, and I believe this is a good place to stop.

Not much references in these chapters, because now we're in the 'setup' stage, to get everything ready for the major plot.

For the next few weeks, I will update on Friday (around 6pm).

Thanks for reading. A review would make my day :)


	6. Chapter 5 Ibiki's Silence

**Disclaimer:** Not mine! Never mine!

* * *

 **Chapter 5 Ibiki's Silence**

Instead of taking Naruto to his office, Sarutobi went straight to the T&I Department. He was smiling as he tuned out Naruto's blabbering of his exam. Inside, however, he was in turmoil. The result of yesterday's interrogation was startling.

 _Flashback_

 _"What do you mean it never happened?!" Sarutobi bellowed, standing in front of Inoichi, Ibiki, and an unconscious Mizuki tied to a chair._

 _"I've looked into his mind, and read his memories. What Uzumaki Naruto had claimed...had never happened. Mizuki has no memory of ever telling Naruto to steal the Forbidden Scroll." Inoichi said._

 _"Are you saying that this man is innocent?"_

 _"No. Though he has no connection to the Scroll incident, I found out that he's actually a spy for Orochimaru. In his memories, it's shown that he'd been secretly sending information to Orochimaru, especially information about the jinchuriki." Inoichi explained. "Thankfully, by reading his memories, I'd learned the locations of where he'd seek out of Konoha and of one of Orochimaru's hideout."_

 _Sarutobi was silent, arguing with himself. One half of him wanted to be suspicious of Naruto, while the other half of him wanted to continue believing in Naruto. After all, he saw Naruto as his grandson. He'd seen Naruto grow up, and he knew the type of person Naruto was. Naruto would never steal the scroll and learn its jutsu, then lie and frame another person. Right?_

 _Flashback Ends_

Sarutobi stole a glance at the boy chattering next to him. The more he observed Naruto, the harder he could convince himself to be suspicious of Naruto. It just seemed so impossible, so out of the blues. Besides, the raw emotions Naruto had shown the other day couldn't be fake. Sarutobi wasn't the Hokage for nothing. He'd lived through wars, interrogated and tortured prisoners; he may not be as good as Ibiki, but he could tell if a person was lying or not. And when Naruto broke down, Sarutobi knew it wasn't an act. It couldn't be.

"Jiji, where are we going?" Naruto's voice broke him out of his reverie.

"We will be carrying our discussion elsewhere," Sarutobi answered calmly. "There's someone I want you to meet."

"Oh," Naruto uttered, and gone back to chattering.

Soon they arrived. The location of the T&I Department was hidden under many seals and genjutsu. Sarutobi quickly disabled them and led Naruto inside. After walking through a long, narrow, and dark corridor, they arrived in front of Mizuki's interrogation room.

"Hokage-sama." Inoichi and Ibiki greeted when they saw Sarutobi walking in with Naruto in tow. Mizuki was still tied onto the chair, unconscious.

"Jiji? Where are we? Why is Mizuki-sensei tied up?" Naruto said in confusion.

"Naruto." Sarutobi finally made his choice. "Drop the act. You're not Naruto aren't you?" He targeted Naruto with a sharp glare and a little killer intent.

"What do you mean, jiji?" Naruto said with an awkward smile. "Of course I'm Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto! Have you finally gone senile that you can't recognize me anymore?"

Sarutobi observed Naruto with analyzing eyes. _He's behaving as if he really is Naruto. There's not one sign of nervousness and anxiety of being found out. Not once did his eyes widen. Could I be wrong?_

"Yesterday, we had performed a jutsu on Mizuki that can look into a person's memories. And we found out that Mizuki had never asked you to steal the scroll. Everything you'd claimed had never happened according to Mizuki's memories." Sarutobi decided a confrontation would be the best. Talking in circles won't lead him anywhere.

"W-what are you talking about?" Naruto stuttered in a disbelieving tone.

"Therefore, we have come to one solution. Either you were lying, or you aren't whom you claimed to be." Sarutobi paused as he noticed Naruto's eyes finally widening. "You can either tell us the truth, or we can torture it out of you. Just letting you know, Inoichi and Ibiki are a master in psychological and physical torture, respectively. When they're done, the victims often are unable to function correctly for the rest of their life."

All three man bored their eyes into the young boy, watching his body language with speculative eyes.

Naruto bowed his head down, bangs casting shadows over his eyes.

"R-really...jiji. I thought you would understand." His clenched fists were shaking as he spoke in a trembling voice. "You'd really believe Mizuki over me? You've watched me grow up! You're like a grandpa to me, jiji! You would really believe an incompetent teacher, and not to mention who's a _spy_ , over _me_!?"

"The Yamanka clan's mind-reading jutsu allows the user to enter the mindscape of the victim, and gives the ability to see all the memories of the person. Only a Yamanaka can counter the jutsu, and Mizuki clearly isn't a Yamanaka."

"That's IT!? That's what it takes to convince you that I'M the one who's at fault!?" Naruto looked up, glaring at the three men. Sarutobi's stony expression almost faltered when he saw tears glistening in Naruto's eyes. "You didn't think that _maybe_ a Yamanaka had turned traitor and had helped Mizuki hide his memories? You distrust me that much that the first possibility you thought of is 'Naruto is not who he is'?! Or perhaps you've never trusted me in the first place!"

"That's not-"

"Shut up! **Just shut up!** " Naruto's voice suddenly turned deeper and raspy as he began emitting a red aura. His narrowed blue eyes turned into a crimson red, slits forming in the middle. His whisker marks have also deepened, making them more feral-looking.

All three men tensed, their hands moving closer to their weapon pouch, ready to attack if necessary.

" **I knew it. Everything you've said that night is a lie. You never liked me. To you, I'm just the Kyuubi container, aren't I?** "

"Naruto, stop it! Don't let your emotions take over your senses!" Sarutobi shouted as he moved closer to the boy. The more unstable Naruto's emotions were, the easier it was for the Kyuubi to take over.

Though it was only a little, the red foul aura had retreated back into Naruto's body. " **Why? Are you afraid that I might unleash the Kyuubi on you all?** " Naruto chuckled maniacally. " **Of course you would be. You're the Hokage; you're supposed to protect the village from any threats! Yet, a 12 years old boy is the first person you suspect in this situation. Why? Because to you I'm just the container of Kyuubi! And thus I'm not a part of the village; I'm not under your protection!** "

"Stop this, Naruto!" Sarutobi reached Naruto and gripped his shoulders tightly, staring at him earnestly in the eyes. "I've told you last night! You're like a grandson to me! I never viewed you as merely the Kyuubi container!"

"And _now_ you believed I'm actually Naruto?" The changes on Naruto disappeared, but the maniacal grin didn't vanish. "It took the _Kyuubi's power_ to convince you that I'm Naruto?! How ironic!"

For the first time, Inoichi stepped forward. "If you insist that you're Naruto, then you wouldn't mind if we take a look into your mind wouldn't you?" He spoke. Sarutobi snapped his head towards him, sending a silent message to him: _Are you sure? You know what you might encounter if you enter his mind don't you?_

Inoichi shrugged: _What else can we do in this situation?_

Both men looked back to Naruto, and were surprised to find a nasty grin plastered on his face.

"Sure, go ahead. But be careful, the fuzzball isn't happy right now. Don't say I didn't warn you."

"Fuzzball... Do you mean the Kyuubi?" Sarutobi widened his eyes. "You can talk to it?"

" _Him._ And yes, I met him for the first time last night when I fell asleep. It turned out that he can see everything that's going on through my eyes and hear everything I'd heard. And now he isn't happy, because he doesn't like to be blamed for something he'd never done."

"Well, let's get this over with then."

As Inoichi began doing hand seals for his jutsu, Sarutobi watched from the side, frowning over Naruto's words.

If...Naruto happened to be innocent...then he'll have a lot to apologize for. But that chance was very slim...because...how can memories be faked?

* * *

 **AN:** Why didn't Ibiki say anything? Because Sarutobi took the spotlight from him! Because Naruto talked too much! And thus there's no place for him to talk :)

Yeah, this chapter name is meant to be a joke.

I'd love for some reviews!


	7. Chapter 6 Omake - sort of

**Disclaimer:** Do I really have to say this every time? It's not mine.

 **AN:** First time writing Sasuke, hope he's not too OOC. Also, keep in mind that he's not the canon Sasuke. This Sasuke is older mentally, and had lived through loops after loops, had adventures after adventures, and had made many friends.

 **EDITED: 9/13/2015**

* * *

 **Chapter 7 Omake - sort of**

Morning, 6:00 AM

Fingers tapping rapidly on two keyboards. Multiple wires spread out on the ground. Next to him sat two guitar-shaped objects with cables connecting them to the computer. After a while, Sasuke stopped, lifting his hand wearily and pinching the bridge of his nose. There were dark rings under his eyes, which were threatening to snap shut. He had been staring at the computer for more than 5 hours without blinking. Exhaustion was slowly getting into him, but the outcome was worth it.

Sasuke stretched his joints, and stood up, arching his back. He grimaced when he heard loud snapping sounds. _I kept on forgetting that I'm now in my 12 years old body, not my muscular older self who's used to this type of living style._ _I really should stop torturing this body._ _Otherwise I'll be the first Uchiha to die of sleep deprivation. Naruto'd laugh his ass off._

After getting a drink of water to sooth his burning throat, he went to the restroom to do his morning routine. After wiping his face dry of water, Sasuke hovered his hands over certain objects as memories resurfaced in his mind. A shudder ran through him as he remembered the _old days_. His mother would always remind him to apply facial lotion, saying how it could make his skin creamy and soft. And before he leave the house, he must apply sunscreen to every part of his body that'd expose in sunlight. That way, he wouldn't look like his father when his grew up, whose skin was tanned and wrinkled.

But as Sasuke grew older, especially after killing Orochimaru, he had stopped doing all those things because they reminded him of a certain snake's pale and smooth skin. The idea of having something in common with the snake disgusted him.

Sasuke dropped his hands and hung the towel. Since he's mother had been long dead, he wouldn't get in trouble for not listening to her. It's not like she'd rise from the dead and reprimand him.

Quickly dressing up in his usual attire, Sasuke looked back at Naruto who was still snoring loudly on a separate futon before leaving the compound to buy breakfast. Walking past Ichiraku brought up a memory of Sasuke's working there with a cheery, brown-haired girl. In some loops, Naruto had married Ayame. While in some other loops, Sasuke had married her. Being with her wasn't so bad actually. At first, Sasuke thought a civilian girl was no fun. But the more time he spent with her, the more he started to fall for her. He noticed how she doesn't treat him like he's some prince character. That alone made her unique enough for Sasuke to be interested in her.

Being with Ayame was fun, but that didn't stop Sasuke and Naruto from dating different girls every loop. You can all them jerks, sure, but imagine dating the same girl for over 100 loops! It's just like playing gal games. No one would want to play the same girl over and over again. The more you played, the more predictable they were. They'd no longer be a challenge. That made playing the game boring. To Sasuke and Naruto, their life was a game. If they die, they'd start over again in a new loop. They have infinite chances to do things over and over again, and try new methods and unlock hidden missions or plots. They wanted challenges to make their 'game' fun; thus, trying to win different girls' hearts was a great plan.

After about ten minutes, Sasuke stood in front of a small convenience shop. In his first life, he had never visited this shop, because its shabby look was too outdated for the great 'Uchiha-sama.' It wasn't until many loops later does Sasuke realize that this was one of the only shops in Konoha that doesn't refuse Naruto's entrance, and the shop owner was one of the few who treats him like a normal boy. Since then, Sasuke had been visiting this shop for all his necessities in every loop. To say Konoha's shop owners were surprised was a great understatement.

Entering the shop, Sasuke quickly spotted his favorites: rice balls with bonita filling and tomato juice. Sasuke took them, then went and took three boxes of cup of noodles. Knowing Naruto, he'd most likely think of some excuse to tell the Hokage so he could live in Sasuke's house without raising suspicion. And since in this loop they're planning to become singers, which would require many cooperation and plannings between the two of them, the probability of Naruto's doing so was very high.

Carrying everything to the cashier, Sasuke placed them down and tapped his finger against the glass counter lightly to wake the sleeping man. The man lifted his head groggily, and jolted awake when he saw who the customer was. Sasuke tried his best to stifle his laughter. Seeing a person in his unattended shop with the possibility of shoplifting didn't surprise him, but Sasuke's presence did? That's why Sasuke loved this man. He's just too funny.

"G-good morning, Uchiha-san," he quickly calculated the price, looking surprised when he saw three full boxes of ramen, and told Sasuke the total. "Would you like a newspaper?"

"Sure." In almost every loop, the man would offer him a newspaper. Sasuke had accepted every time. Maybe in his next loop he should refuse it? Just to see the changes it would bring?

"Here you go. Have a nice day-" his head hit the counter and soft snoring was heard before Sasuke had even stepped past the threshold.

Carrying three boxes of ramen would attract many attention. Not to say the subject was the 'great Uchiha Sasuke.' Many civilians have offered to help Sasuke carry the boxes, but Sasuke refused them all. He needed this weight training.

After a long, painful walk, Sasuke finally arrived home.

 _Home sweet home._ He thought. _Man, I wonder how long it'd take to train my body to be as strong as my older self's?_

Placing the food on the table, Sasuke carried three boxes and went to Naruto who's currently spreading drools on his pillow. Sasuke sighed and resisted the urge to dump the boxes onto Naruto's face. Instead, he set them down carefully next to Naruto.

Three minutes later he was wolfing down rice balls while reading the newspaper. Having not eaten dinner last night, Sasuke was hungry beyond words at the moment. That's why he'd bought twice the usual amount of rice balls.

 _Politics...economic...sports? Boring..._

Sasuke flipped through the newspaper rapidly with only a few glances on each pages.

Suddenly, his movement siezed as his gaze settled down on a certain bold headline on a page.

"Holy shit! This is the perfect opportunity!" He couldn't help but exclaim as he finished reading the page, excitement and glee gleaming in his eyes.

In the room next door, Naruto murmured, "express your madness elsewhere, Sasuke..." Moments later, he was woken up by a frantic Sasuke who's urging him to move quickly so they won't be late for the graduation exam.

 _Guess I'll have to tell him after the exam is over..._ Sasuke thought as he and Naruto raced through the village.

* * *

 **AN:** Nothing really happened in this chapter, so I named it "Omake." But something important DID happen (near the end), so this was also named as a chapter, instead of just 'Omake' without a chapter label.

I hope my version of Sasuke isn't too ooc...?

In case you guys didn't realize, the content of this chapter happened BEFORE the graduation exam, which was before the whole interrogation took place.

Please leave some reviews! xD


	8. Chapter 7 Memories

**Disclaimer:** Not mine, never mine.

 **AN:** This chapter isn't well-written. Sorry guys, but I just don't feel motivated. Please bear with me.

* * *

 **Chapter 7 Memories**

Inoichi found himself in a sewer. Foul odor filled up his nostrils. He gagged, retching sound echoing in the tunnel. Shaking his sandals free of water, Inoichi began walking along the wall. Soon he reached several doors. Pushing the first one open, Inoichi found himself watching the memories like a movie.

He saw Naruto grow up, was kicked out of the orphanage, was beaten up, and was the victim to many other horrible acts, which convinced Inoichi that he must report this to the Hokage when the jutsu is over.

It continued for a while until one scene caught his eyes.

 _Around 9 years old, Naruto was yet again bullied by shop owners. Immediately after kicking Naruto out, he began treating his next customer, Uchiha Sasuke, with smiles and acting as if nothing had happened._

 _Sasuke, surprisingly, went to Naruto's defense. He questioned the shop owner's attitude towards Naruto, and even threatened to never visit that shop again if the treatment continued._

 _Later, Naruto and Sasuke walked home together, chatting animatedly together. After finding out about Naruto's horrible life, Sasuke began growing sympathetic to the boy. He realized how much he had that Naruto never had._

 _After that incident, they became friends. Naruto, not wanting to ruin Sasuke's reputation, acted as if they aren't friends in public. Sasuke did the same because he's afraid his fangirls will become jealous and harm Naruto if they saw him getting so close to Sasuke. Thus, they agreed to act like enemies in public, but friends in secret._

 _Together they trained, played, and even pulled pranks (with Sasuke's buying the necessities and doing the preparations)._

To say he was surprised was an understatement. Inoichi was shocked beyond words! To think that everyone, including the Hokage, had been fooled by two 9 years old's acts! He wondered how they managed to pull it off for 3 years without anyone's finding out.

Few scenes later, finally he reached the night of the scroll incident.

To his surprise, the incident happened just like how Naruto had described.

 _"Naruto? What are you doing here near the teacher's lounge?"_

 _"I want to ask you something, Iruka sensei." Naruto whispered, "do you know what jutsu we will need to perform tomorrow, for the exam?"_

 _"Naruto! I can't tell you that!" Iruka jumped back, eyes widening._

 _"Eh~? Not even a hint?"_

 _"No means no. It's against the rules."_

 _"So if there're no rules, does that mean you will tell me?" Naruto smirked in a foxy manner._

 _"Urgh-"_

 _Damn, who knew Naruto can be quite sneaky?_

 _"Fine then, I'll go ask Mizuki sensei then." Naruto sighed dramatically. "And here I was thinking my favorite sensei can provide me help when everyone else just shunned me away."_

 _Hearing that made Iruka frown sorrowfully. "I'm sorry Naruto, but as your teacher I can't help you cheat. I'm sure Mizuki sensei will say that too."_

 _"Who knows? Maybe Mizuki sensei will help me, since my passing the exam means I will no longer be in his class, which I'm sure will make him all happy and giddily seeing how much he hates me."_

As Naruto had said, after hearing the request from Naruto, Mizuki immediately took the chance and questioned.

 _"Do you want to know why you can't perform a bunshin correctly?"_

 _Naruto widened his eyes. "Of course! Tell me, Mizuki-sensei!"_

 _"The truth is, on the night of the Kyuubi attack, the Fourth Hokage didn't kill it, because it's impossible to kill a demon made of pure chakra. So he chose an alternative method," Mizuki said as Naruto listened with unblinking eyes. "He sealed the Kyuubi inside a newborn. You."_

 _"Me?" Naruto croaked out, index finger pointing uncertainly at himself._

 _"Yes. And because the Kyuubi's massive chakra is hard to control, it made you unable to make a bunshin, which requires great chakra control."_

 _"D-does that mean, I will never be able to pass the graduation exam?"_

 _"No."_

 _Hope glinted in Naruto's eyes._

 _"There is a way; however, it is a little dangerous. Are you willing to try?"_

 _"Of course! I'll do anything to pass the exam!"_

 _"Good!" Mizuki smirked. "There's actually another bunshin jutsu you can learn which can also help you pass the exam. However, the jutsu scroll was kept in Hokage-sama's house. What you have to do, is to borrow it, and bring it here, then I'll help you with the jutsu. After you learned the jutsu, you can then put it back, and no one will know."_

 _"That's easy! It's just getting a scroll from jiji's house! I can do it any time!" Naruto cheered._

 _Mizuki shook his head. "It's not that easy. Hokage-sama's house is protected by many seals. Some will alert him if an intruder enters his house, because they can detect chakra. But don't worry, I will teach you a way to get past them."_

Alarm was ringing in Inoichi's ears. Something's not right. There's no way, even if he's a spy, Mizuki could know how to get past The Third's seals. Not to say what kind of seals they were.

 _"Chakra Suppression Technique can help you suppress your chakra to the point that it's impossible to be detected. Here's the handseals..."_

 _Mizuki then taught Naruto how to perform the technique. Then later that day, after Naruto went home and dressed himself in an all-black attire, he went straight to the Hokage's house. He first performed the technique and suppressed his chakra completely. **(HIS chakra, not the Kyuubi's chakra. It's chakra can't be detected if Naruto don't use it.)** Then Naruto quickly slipped into the chimney when he spotted the opportunity (when the guards weren't looking). _

_Then, as Naruto had stated, he went to the meeting place but Mizuki weren't there. So after a while, he went back to the house..._

Inoichi exited the boy's mind.

* * *

 **AN:** Don't like this chapter... Sorry, but I promise the next chapter will be better.

Now we're in arc 1...which should end in the next chapter. Then we'll go into arc 2, the music part.

By the way...please leave a review! TAT You have no idea how happy I am whenever I find a review notification in my email inbox, sitting there quietly, waiting to be read. I love hearing how everyone thinks about my story. So please leave a review!


	9. Chapter 8 Ibiki is very observant

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto.

 **AN:** Ibiki finally talks!

* * *

 **Chapter 8 Ibiki is very observant**

"How was it?"

Inoichi was subjected to Sarutobi's question as soon as he returned to reality.

"The boy didn't lie. Everything he had claimed was true."

Sarutobi stilled. He had expected Inoichi to return to tell him that Naruto was lying, though he found it hard to believe. After all, how could memories be faked? But now Inoichi's telling him that everything Naruto had claimed was proven true by his memories? How could it be!? How could two people memories contradict each other!?

"I felt dizzy..."

Naruto's voice brought him out of his thoughts. Sarutobi glanced at the clock and sighed. "You can go home now Naruto. Sorry for doubting your words...and all the trouble I've brought to you."

"..." Naruto was silent, as if he's debating whether or not he should forgive his old man. "It's...alright. As long as you believed me... I'm just hurt that you believed a spy over me, jiji."

Sarutobi looked down guiltily.

"Your memories may not be faked."

A voice made all three of them jump a feet. Three heads turned simultaneously to Mizuki's direction, to Mizuki...

...and to the person standing behind him: Ibiki.

"But _you_ can be faked."

Naruto forced himself to stare into those cold, tunnel-like eyes.

"Ibiki!" Sarutobi barked.

"I'm not a Yamanaka, so I won't say much about your memories..." Ibiki began, his voice deep and rough. "However, you're actions made me suspicious. Or rather, everything about you made me suspicious. I've been observing you since you entered this room. And I found that everything you do, your reactions and replies, were all trying to lure us to check your memories."

Naruto looked calm, but inside he was in turmoil. Even with hundreds of loops he had been through, he still couldn't trick Ibiki. Seems like age doesn't equal experience.

"Ibiki, you will stop right now!"

Ibiki ignored Sarutobi and continued. "You kept on making the Hokage feel guilty for suspecting you. You mentioned how he believed a spy over you, how memories doesn't mean anything, and how a Yamanaka may have turned traitor and helped Mizuki. Then, to make the Hokage even more guilty and worried, you 'lose' control of the Kyuubi's chakra, which I'm sure you have planned ahead of time, though I have no idea how you manage to have such great control of it on your first try. You continued your little drama and talked bad about yourself, reminding the Hokage of your identity as the Kyuubi host and making him even more guilty and saddened of his actions.

"Seeing the Hokage was finally moved by your little act, you stopped releasing the Kyuubi's chakra. Because Hokage-sama was so guilty, he was urged to prove your innocence. Thus, when Inoichi asked to look into your mind, the Hokage didn't stop him. And then you smirked, because everything went exactly according to your plan. Am I correct?"

Silence followed Ibiki's little speech. Inoichi was looking thoughtful. Sarutobi was looking furious. And Naruto...

...he didn't say anything. Partly because he didn't know what to say, but mostly because he's worried that what he say next would be used against him again.

"I don't know how you manage to fool Inoichi, a master in psychological torture, with your memories, but I do know that you're definitely not who you claimed to be. You better be careful in your actions, and whatever you're planning. Because I will be watching you. Have a nice day."

Naruto turned his head almost mechanically towards Sarutobi. After getting no response, Naruto bolted out of the room with an expression of a mix of disappointment, anger, and sadness.

The door slammed shut...then it was silence...

"Well..." Inoichi coughed, and began explaining what he had seen in Naruto's mind.

When he finished, Sarutobi sighed and rubbed his beard. "So that's why my ANBU reported to have seen Naruto going to Sasuke's house. I never thought they could be friends. After all, one's the deadlast while the other is the top of the class. Finally, one matter solved."

"And not to say, the _boys'_ are a genius in acting..." Inoichi remarked, reminding Sarutobi of how Naruto and Sasuke had managed to hide their friendship from the entire village for all these years.

"Which could be not true."

"Be quiet, Ibiki!" Sarutobi ordered, tightening his jaws in anger. "You have said enough to the boy. Even if he had planned all this, it doesn't mean he's guilty."

"Hokage-sama, you're acting exactly how the boy wanted you to act. As I have said, he _wanted_ you to feel guilty, just so you would stop suspecting him and help prove his innocence. It's all a trap." Volume rising, Ibiki continued in anger. Angry at the Third for not understanding how much of a danger the boy was.

"And as _I_ have said," Sarutobi retorted, glaring at the taller man. "The boy may have planned all this, but that doesn't mean he's guilty. He could've wanted us to read his mind, just so his memories can prove his innocence. Have you never thought of that?"

"But-"

"No buts. I don't want to hear you talking about Naruto as if he's a criminal ever again. Do you understand me?"

Sarutobi's voice was powerful and commanding, even Ibiki couldn't say 'no' hearing that tone.

"I will keep my watch on Naruto. After all, he plays an important role in this strange event. However, I won't believe that his memories were faked-"

"'Won't believe' or 'don't want to believe'?"

Sarutobi swirled around so fast his hat almost flew off. He quickly slammed it back down onto his head, and growled. "Are you mocking _me_?!"

"No sir. Sorry sir."

Sarutobi retracted his KI when he was satisfied with Ibiki's reply.

"If anything, it has to be Mizuki's memories that are faked. After all, like Naruto had said, what kind of Hokage, and jiji, would I be if I believed a spy's memories over one of my own's?" Ibiki shook his head in remorse, while Inoichi continued to look undecided of whose memories he should believe.

Sarutobi ignored Ibiki's action and continued, "I will have my ANBU looking after Naruto, while you two keep your eyes on Mizuki. Try to get as much out of him as you can. Also, send some ANBU to check those locations you saw in his memories. Lastly, Inoichi, I want you to keep an eye on your clan. Report to me as soon as you find any members suspicious. Don't try to handle them yourself. If they can create the seemingly impossible fake memories, who knows what else they can do."

"Yes sir."

* * *

 **AN:** Can anyone guess how come Naruto's memories contradict with Mizuki's memories? :))) And how to create the 'false memories'?

Went to Anime Expo yesterday. It was boring...

Lastly... REVIEWS plzzz~~~


	10. Chapter 9 Thanks to Harry Potter

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto...

* * *

 **Chapter 9 Thanks to Harry Potter**

Sasuke was rewarded with a flying hug when he opened the door. Clutching onto him like a koala was none other than Uzumaki Naruto.

"Geroff me, Naruto!"

"Sasuke~~~ Help me! He found out!" Big fat tears rolled down Naruto's cheeks, soaking up Sasuke's shirt.

"Who, when, what, where, how?" Five words, fired like bullets.

"Ibiki, a while ago, you know what, T&I department, I DON'T KNOW HOW WAHHHH!"

Sasuke sighed. This was the kind of things you have to deal with if you're stuck with Uzumaki Naruto for hundreds of loops. And even after so long, he's still a huge pain in the ass.

"Eat a cup of ramen and calm down."

Immediately, the huge weight on his chest was gone. In less than a second, loud slurping sound was heard coming from the kitchen.

"So, now that you've calmed down...hopefully, tell me what had happened."

Letting out a loud burping sound, Naruto set the cup onto the table, and began telling what he had experienced.

"Wait!" Sasuke interrupted. "Fake memories? How do you do that?"

Naruto stared at him as if he had grown a second head. "You're seriously asking me this? Magic, brooms, snake, long stick, owls? Ring any bells?"

"You don't mean-" Sasuke widened his eyes, and chuckled. "I should've known. You used Occlumency right **(1)**."

It wasn't a question; it was a statement. Because Sasuke was 99.99 percent sure it was the right answer.

"And a False Memory Charm. It worked like a charm!" Naruto exclaimed. "All I did was use Occlumency to hide my real memories, then use the False Memory Charm to plant these false memories in my head, which I can erase whenever I want."

"You gotta thank Snape for that." Sasuke smirked, remembering the 'good' times.

"No way in hell!" Naruto gagged. "He's the worst teacher ever! It was Hermione who taught me it! Successfully!"

"Hermione? She knows Occlumency?"

"Yeah, in some loops."

"And how many loops did it take you to learn Occlumency?"

"..." Naruto said something like 'mimble wimble.'

"Sorry, I can't hear you."

Naruto glared heatedly at the smirk on Sasuke's face. "About...thirty-six loops..."

"Genius," Sasuke gave him a huge thumb-up. "You're a genius, Naruto."

Anyone with a brain could hear the sarcasm literally dripping in his voice.

And unlike how most people believed, Uzumaki Naruto does have a brain.

"Did you just call me an idiot!?"

"When did I say that?" Innocent big eyes were blinking.

"...you look creepy."

Sasuke's shoulder sagged.

"Whatever, continue your story please."

"Oh well, and so..."

Thirty minutes later, with many exaggeration and wild hand gestures, Naruto finally finished his story.

"So basically, you lured them into reading your mind so you can prove your innocence, but Ibiki saw through your plan." Sasuke rolled his eyes. "You could've said that in three sentences, not including the exaggerations."

"Why aren't you worried!? They found out! Do you remember what happened last time we were found out? We were placed into a cell with chakra-suppression seals attached onto us!"

"Which we escaped using Apparition **(2)** seconds later and restarted the loop."

"And last last time we were captured and attached onto those cold surgery tables to be experimented on!"

"Which we, yet again, escaped using Apparition seconds later and restarted the loop."

"And last last last-"

"Did Ibiki see you using the False Memory Charm?" Sasuke interrupted.

Naruto blinked. "Of course not."

"Did Ibiki see you using Occlumency?"

Naruto frowned. "You don't _use_ Occlumency. Once you've learned it, it's always in you, protecting your mind. It's just like learning to walk. You don't _use_ it; it's in you once you've learned it."

"So did Ibiki have any evidence to prove you guilty?"

"No..."

"There you go. So what're you so worried about?"

Now that Sasuke has said that...the situation doesn't seemed that bad...

Naruto nodded slowly. "Yeah, what am I so worried about? If they found out, we can just use Apparition and escape. Or we can just pull the trigger **(!)** and start our new loop."

Seeing Naruto had finally gotten a hold of himself, Sasuke smiled.

"Anyway, I have something important I need to show you."

* * *

 **(1) Occlumency:** It's from Harry Potter. Snape had tried to teach Harry Occlumency to block Voldemort from his mind, but it didn't work. I mean, of course, since Snape is the worst teacher ever.

 **(2) Apparition** **:** Also from Harry Potter. It basically means teleporting, which doesn't require chakra, cuz it doesn't come from the Naruto universe.

 **(!) Trigger:** To start a new loop, something must triggers it. Death is the most common trigger for looping fics.

 **AN:** Short chapter...but don't worry, the next chapter will be longer than usual!

Please leave a review!

Is my story boring? Is that why my readers don't leave any reviews? If so, please give me ideas of how I can make this story more interesting!


	11. Chapter 10 Daughter of Evil

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto or the songs! The lyrics used in this chapter were translated by lordxwillie, cover sang by Ketsuban (link in my profile).

 **Warning:** Some mention of adult things, which are T-rated so they should be fine.

 **AN:** Long chapter! Get ready, guys and gals!

I've put up links for the Evil Series on my profile, including the originals and English covers with the lyrics mentioned in my story.

* * *

 **Chapter 10 Daughter of Evil**

"Look at this."

Sasuke took out the specific page in the newspaper and spread it out on the table.

"It's the Literature page. It always post stories or poems that people wrote." Naruto frowned. "What does it have to do with us?"

"Use your brain Naruto. I know you have one, though it's pea-sized." Sasuke continued quickly before Naruto can retort. "Look. Even if our songs were great, our singing skills were great, and we looked super duper hot... Who would care?"

"Why wouldn't they care?"

"Obviously, we aren't going to perform in our real identities. So why would people listen to songs of two singers, whom they have never seen or heard off?"

"...that makes sense."

"Think of Muse (μ's) for example. Their first performance only has about ten audience members (including us). They have passed flyers around the school, and spreaded the word, so how come only ten people showed up? It's because they weren't well-known and had no fans at that time. If A-RISE had held a concert there, the auditorium would be completely filled. It wasn't until many performances later, after gathering more members and performing in front of different schools, on the street, in Love Live, were they popular enough to defeat A-RISE in Love Live's final round **(1)**."

Naruto stared at him with a strange expression. "And how come you know about them so well?"

"Well..." Sasuke looked a little embarrassed. "I like their songs...and..."

"And~~?"

"Umm..." Sasuke looked away. "They look cute...and..."

"Don't tell me..." Naruto suddenly gasped. "YOU were the one who sent Ayase-san that love letter! No wonder the handwriting looked familiar. It was _you_ after all!" **(In case you don't understand this part, there are explanations at the bottom of this chapter.)**

"It was a _dare_!" Sasuke argued, blushing furiously.

But Naruto wasn't buying it. "And the darer had dared you to send a _second_ love letter after your first one was exposed for the entire student body to view?"

"...w-well, anyway, ahem," cough cough, "right now, we are just like Muse after their initial debut. Nobody knows about us, so they wouldn't bother to listen to songs of two strangers, no matter how good the songs may be (just like Muse's first song). And thus, we need to find a way to introduce us to Konoha. We need to slowly gather fans and audiences, so when we finally perform our first song officially, there will be people who actually bothered to listen to it."

"But how do we do that?"

"With this." Sasuke tapped a certain section on the page.

"Poems?" Naruto wonder out loud. "How would that help with anything?"

"Many song lyrics could also be read as poems. Therefore, we'll choose some of the good ones and publish them onto this newspaper. When we have enough fans who love our poems, we can then announce that we're gonna turn those poems into songs. That would interest these fans, and they'd want to know how their favorite poem would sound like as a song. Especially if the songs are going to be sing by the writer of the poems."

"Great idea, Sasuke! I never thought of that!" Naruto exclaimed. "So what poem should we publish first?"

"...this."

* * *

Konoha's Newspaper Publisher was a huge and well-known company. Almost everyone would buy a newspaper everyday, to keep up with the news and important events. Living in a ninja village, information was very important. And that's the reason why this Publisher was so well-known.

-Literature Section-

"What's this shit!?" Head Editor Seito growled, slamming the crumbled paper onto the table. Everyone in the room trembled.

" _Your eyes are so beautiful,_

 _just staring at them makes me faint._

 _Your hair is so shiny,_

 _just staring at it makes me blind._

 _Your lips are so sexy,_

 _just staring at it_ _makes_ _me drool._

 _Your boobs are so big,_

 _just staring at it_ _makes_ _me cum._

 _Your ass is so hot,_

 _just staring at it_ _makes_ _me HARD!_ They call this poetry!? They dare to call this literature!? This little piece of shit!"

"S-seito-san...please calm down-"

"Calm down!? How can I calm down!" The poor editor retreated back to his corner, regretting to have spoken. "I've been looking through poems after poems all my fucking day, and all I found is shit! I'm done! I'm leaving!"

"Wait! Please, just stay for a while more! We have only one more poem left to look through! It might be good!" Another editor spoke up. Not because he's curious of what the last poem's about, but because he's afraid that all of them would be in trouble if they weren't able to find a good-enough poem to fill in the spot, after the last poem author had retired.

"Fine! After this I'm leaving!" Seito sat down, ripped open the letter, and began reading...

...five minutes later...he's still reading...

All the other editors stared each other in the eyes, confused.

Then all of a sudden, Seito's hands began to shake...then his head...then his whole body... He shook so hard it's hard to believe he wasn't epileptic.

Before the editors could ask for his well being, Seito jumped up and exclaimed. "I found it! This is the one!"

The editors could only stare each other in the eyes, confused.

Oh well, it's not like this was new.

* * *

Sakura was smart, book-smart. One reason why was that she loved to read. Ever since she was little, her mother would make her read the literature section of Konoha's News. According her mother, in order to understand the political and economic sections of the newspaper, she needs to improve her reading skills and vocabulary first.

It was quite fun, actually, to read interesting stories, which were mostly about ninja. But because most of the authors were all civilians, who don't quite understand how the ninja world works, they made it sound very cool and fun. That's why Sakura wanted to become a ninja, because wouldn't anyone want to be cool and have fun?

Reading has become a habit. Now that Sakura's older, she'd still read the Literature section of the newspaper during breakfast.

Today, as usual, Sakura sat down onto the breakfast table and picked up today's newspaper, flipped to the page, and began reading the story she had been keeping up to date with. After reading everything, she skimmed her eyes to the poems section. She was surprised to see her favorite author being replaced by an unknown name.

"A new author? Humph." She was ready to throw down the newspaper, since she's a huge fan of Sakamoto-sensei, and she doesn't believe anyone could write poems better than he could, but the title caught her eyes.

"Daughter of Evil? By Nakamura Tenzoi?" The title was strange. Could the poem about a girl with dark power? Without much expectations, Sakura began reading. Slowly and bored at first...then she got more and more hooked by the poem. She realized, the poem was different from those she usually read. This one was a story.

 _There was once upon a time in another place_  
 _An evil kingdom who no person dared to face_  
 _And the ruler was a girl so mean_  
 _A tiny little princess of only age fourteen!_

"A fourteen years old girl is the ruler of a kingdom? How can a girl that young be evil? Could this be an exaggeration to hook the readers in?" Sakura was suspicious, but she continued reading.

 _So many furnitures littered her abode_  
 _Her loyal servant who's likeness surely showed_  
 _Josephine was what her horse was named_  
 _All the riches of the world is what she had claimed._

"A servant...that looks like her? Is this foreshadowing something?" Sakura wondered, and kept on reading.

 _If you're short on money that's no fearful thing_  
 _Just take it from those who you dangle on a string_  
 _To those who feel that they want to bring me down_  
 _You'll just tidy up my gown._  
 _Now, bow to me!_

"What a conceited person! I don't think I'm going to like her..." Sakura frowned. 'Bow to me?' No one would like to be talked to like that. But so far, the girl only sounded mean and arrogant, not evil yet.

 _Evil flowers_  
 _Steadily bloom_  
 _With an array of colourful doom_  
 _But the weeds who feel that they want to stay_  
 _They'll just die and and feed me the same anyway._

 _The princess held a love for a man_  
 _Of blue who wasn't very much her fan_  
 _But instead he chose his neighbor's girl_  
 _Of green who's eyes shone like a pearl._

"I have a bad feeling about this..." An arrogant and jealous girl... Who knows what she'd do to be together with her love.

 _The princess knew this and was filled with rage_  
 _She called the minister locked in her cage_  
 _And said in a soft voice to not be heard_  
 _"Make sure the green country is badly stirred."_

"No way!" Sakura exclaimed. "She's destroying an entire country just because she doesn't like that one girl!?"

 _Houses of the people were burned to the ground_  
 _So many voices would no longer make a sound_  
 _The people who had suffered so much pain_  
 _Didn't get pity from the one who'd slain._  
 _"Oh, it's tea time."_

"S-she...doesn't she care about these people's lives!? They are also human beings! How could she kill them all and sit there like nothing had happened!?" Sakura was filled with rage, but at the same time, she wanted to cry for the death of all those innocents.

 _Evil flowers_  
 _Steadily bloom_  
 _With an array of bloodied doom_  
 _Even though the flower is so very refined_  
 _The thorns had driven its garden to decline._

 _To defeat the princess was no easy task_  
 _But the people could no longer wear their mask_  
 _Like a flock of birds they were led by_  
 _A red lady mercenary into the nigh._

 _All the anger that had built up over the years_  
 _Now consumed them without any fears_  
 _But the army was battered from the green war_  
 _Their attacks were not much of a chore._

 _Once they fell the countrymen surrounded the court_  
 _The servants ran away as time was running short_  
 _Little woman princess would not pose a fight_  
 _And she was finally captured in the night_  
 _"You're such a disrespectful man!"_

"Yes! The evil girl would get what she deserved!" Sakura cheered.

 _Evil flowers_  
 _Steadily bloom_  
 _With an array of funest doom_  
 _How the paradise that she made for herself_  
 _Put this broken doll right back on the wooden shelf._

 _There was once upon a time in another place_  
 _An evil kingdom who no person dared to face_  
 _And the ruler was a girl so mean_  
 _A tiny little princess of only age fourteen._

 _She was to be punished at three o' clock_  
 _When the church bells resounded a tock_  
 _The person who was once royalty_  
 _Was bored in jail with no loyalty._

"A girl who's only fourteen years old...is going to be killed..." Sakura felt pity for the girl, but another voice in her mind told her that the girl deserved it.

 _At the time that eventually came_  
 _The church bells to her sounded rather lame_  
 _Without looking to faces of the crowd_  
 _She said with her eyes in a shroud_  
 _"Oh, it's tea time."_

Sakura was angry once again. Why doesn't the girl apologize? Even before she's about to be killed, she still won't regret her actions?

 _Evil flowers_  
 _Steadily bloom_  
 _With an array of colourful doom_  
 _Now the people speak of her without a second thought_  
 _That daughter of evil had received what she had sought._

 _TBC_

The poem ended here, surprisingly, with a 'TBC' written at the end.

Does that mean this poem hadn't ended yet? Does that mean there's more to the story?

Sakura smiled so widely her cheeks hurt. It's her first time she liked a poem this much! Even Sakamoto-sensei didn't give her this feeling...this indescribable feeling.

An evil girl, a very very evil girl, fell in love, very conceited, killed everyone, got punished... The story may sound simple and cliche, similar to any other children stories which teach youngsters that evil was bad and good was, well, good. But this simple plot line indeed had captured Sakura's attention. She had never felt so emotional towards a fictional character before.

Usually, when she read about an evil character, she would feel angry about him or her and pity the innocents. But that's it. She would feel angry, then she would continue her day as normal and put the story behind her (so she can fill her mind with thoughts of her beloved Sasuke-kun). But this girl, this evil girl, had made her want to cry, want to scream, and even want to jump into the poem and kill her herself!

Placing the poem down, Sakura finally picked up her cold toast and started chewing on it. She didn't even notice how she was taking large bites, which she normally wouldn't do because it would make her fat. (She had read on a Health magazine that one should always chew a mouthful at least 20 times before swallowing it.) While eating her breakfast, Sakura couldn't help but think back to the poem.

Who will become the next Queen, or King? What will happen to the Blue boy and the servant? The country? Or even the evil girl herself?

She had a feeling that this poem wouldn't leave her mind for days.

* * *

 **(1) Muse (μ's)** **:** From the idol anime _Love Live: School Idol Project_. Muse consists of 9 girls who created this school idol group to save their school from closing due to the decreasing amount of applicants each year. A-RISE is a successful school idol group of UTX high school, which gained many applicants each year due to A-RISE's reputation. Love Live is the ultimate school idol competition featuring the best groups of Japan.

Indeed, in one certain loop, Sasuke and Naruto were students in Otonokizaka Academy, which was the school the Muse girls were in. Sasuke had a crush on Ayase Alisa so he sent her a love letter anonymously. Ayase was determined to find out the sender, so she exposed the letter to the entire school. Then, Sasuke sent another one, again, anonymously. During the whole time, Naruto was busy with the club he had joined. (They try different things in different loops, to keep themselves entertained, which means they are skillful in many different areas.)

And that's just a little explanation to help you understand that part.

 **AN:** This huge chapter is to make up for the 2 or 3 chapters which I won't be able to upload in the next few weeks, because I will be going on a vacation with my family.

Hope you guys enjoyed it and reviews are welcomed!


	12. Chapter 11 Nakamura Tenzoi

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto.

 **AN:** Just a clarification. I did NOT write the poem _Daughter of Evil_. It's the English translation of the Japanese lyrics of a Vocaloid song under the same name. It's the first song in a series called Evil series.

* * *

 **Chapter 11 Nakamura Tenzoi**

The same event had occurred in not just Sakura's household, but also in many other houses.

"This is my first time reading a poem like this! I never thought a poem can also be a story!"

"People nowadays always write about their love, their pain, sadness...etc. It's getting old. Now is the time for more creative poems like this! Nakamura Tenzoi has opened up a new path to poetry!"

"I had never felt so emotional towards a fictional character before! Usually when I read a love/hurt/comfort poem, I would feel a little sad. But never before had a poem left such a heavy imprint in my mind!"

"Now is Nakamura Tenzoi's era!"

"I wonder what will happen next!"

"I want to know more about that servant who looks like her... Is this supposed to be a hint for something...?"

"Same here. Not sure if anyone noticed, but it's the servant who destroyed the Green Country, not the evil girl..."

"I, however, am curious about that Blue boy. What would he do after he found out the cause of his love's death?"

"Wait! Did no one notice the Red lady? I wanted to know more about her..."

"Actually, I'm more curious about the author than the story itself. To be able to write such an amazing poem, the author must not be a beginner. But I had never heard the name Nakamura Tenzoi before."

"Same here. Does anyone know who he/she is?"

"Or maybe 'they'?"

While the readers were in chaos, the creators of the chaos were currently sitting in the Academy, waiting for their team to be announced.

"Team 7, Uzumaki Naruto..." Iruka announced. In the corner of his eyes, he saw Naruto's smiling.

"...Haruno Sakura..."

 _Eh? Weird. Both Naruto and Sakura didn't react._

Unbeknownst to him, Naruto had gone through this day too many times to care about it. While Sakura was too engrossed in the poem she had read that morning to care.

 _Alright...well, how 'bout this!_

"...and Uchiha Sasuke."

 _Something's wrong. All three of them didn't react!_

 _Well, at least Ino's acting normal._

Indeed, unlike Sakura, Ino was currently groaning and hiding her face in her arms while Shikamaru was smirking at her from aside.

"Your team sensei will be here after lunch break. Dismissed!"

* * *

Sakura was eating her lunch alone on the stony bench. On her lap was _Daughter of Evil_ she had cut out from the newspaper.

She read it again and again...

No matter how many times she read it, she'd still want to read it once more. In other words, she's completely captivated by this poem.

Suddenly a figure landed in front of her. Sakura glanced up and met Ino's eyes.

"Ino-pig! What're you doing here?"

"Isn't it obvious, Forehead girl?" Ino smirked and pointed to her team, who was eating on the rooftop. "I saw you eating here all alone, so I came to pity you."

"Oh."

Ino was confused. Why didn't Sakura talk back to her like usual?

"Hey Forehead girl!"

"What?"

"I'm talking to you!"

"I know."

Alright. Something's definitely not right.

That's when Ino noticed the scrap of paper on Sakura's lap.

"What's this?" She grabbed it before Sakura could stop her.

"Give it back! Or I'll kill you!" Sakura roared, her eyes blazing with fire, and ripped the paper off of a stunned Ino's hand.

Ino was even more confused, if possible. "What's the big deal?! It's just a paper! Or is it your love letter to Sasuke-kun!?"

"Are you kidding me?! Big deal? This is a HUGE deal!" Sakura sat down and shook her head as if she's pitying Ino. "Sorry but I'm not interested in Sasuke anymore. You can do anything to him and I wouldn't care," Sakura replied calmly.

Ino was flabbergasted. Sakura, not interested in Sasuke? Had she woken up in an upside-down world!?

"I mean, Sasuke is only good-looking and has good grades. But..." Sakura traced the name Nakamura Tenzoi carefully with her index finger, a blush slowly creeping onto her cheeks. "Tenzoi... _Tenzoi_...is much better. I don't know who he is or what he looks like, but...his poems can make me happy. Because of his poems, I look forward to tomorrow. Because of him, I have a reason to live. Tenzoi's poems taught me that just blushing and heart-pounding isn't true love. True love is what gives me the strength to live to see tomorrow. It is what makes you happy..."

Ino slowly backed away from Sakura. This...is definitely not the Sakura she knew.

Her gaze dropped onto the paper.

And that paper must be the reason.

"Let me read it!" She sat down next to Sakura and took the paper.

Ten minutes later, after many curses and tears, Ino sighed and handed the poem back to Sakura. "I think I know what you're talking about now."

"Finally. Took you long enough." Sakura folded the poem carefully and placed it in her pocket.

"I always thought Sasuke is my true love. But now I realized...that's not true love. No one had ever made me so emotional before. Not anyone, and definitely not Sasuke." Ino wiped away a tear. "He's always so cold, and every time he rejects me, I feel so hurt, so rejected. But Tenzoi... Reading his poem gave me energy. It made me look forward to his next poem. It taught me that I have emotions other than my crazy fangirl-like love towards Sasuke. I cry for the death of all those innocents. I curse the evil wench. I pity the Green Country. I wonder about the Blue boy. I ponder about the mysterious servant that looks like the evil girl..."

"Exactly. I, too, realized, I don't love Sasuke. I love Tenzoi and his poem." Sakura smiled. "Does that mean we're rivals again? Not over Sasuke, but over Tenzoi?"

Ino giggled. "When are we not rivals?"

From afar, Shikamaru and Chouji ate their lunch while staring at the strange sight of the two opposing girls laughing together. This day just got weirder and weirder.

* * *

 **AN:** Many reactions are exaggerated. Please don't take it too seriously. This is called Fanfiction for a reason :D Beside, I did it for comedy.

Although I'm on vacation (out of sea), I managed to type out this chapter on my phone and paste it into fanfiction doc when I have wifi (now). I will probably be able to do the same thing for the next few weeks, so you guys won't have to wait 3 long weeks for my updates! But due to time difference, I may not be able to update exactly on Friday.

Also, can anyone guess where I am? xD Hint~~ It's a place mentioned in Durarara!

Review please~~~


	13. Chapter 12 Hachiko

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto or Hachiko.

 **AN:** A new Friday, a new chapter. I hope I updated on time. It's hard to tell when I'm out of sea.

* * *

 **Chapter 12 Hachiko**

Kakashi stood before the classroom door. Mentally preparing himself for the upcoming view of his sensei's son. It's a lie to say he's not nervous. In fact, he's beyond nervous, especially after what Sarutobi had told him last night. Naruto? Suspect? Lie? Acting? Forbidden Scroll? Contradicting memories? Just what had Naruto being involved with?

Taking a deep breath, Kakashi slid open the door, preparing to say 'my first impression of you guys is...I hate you.' Why? Because it's fun! He wondered how the three graduates would react!

"My first impression of you guys is-"

He stopped when he heard sobbing and sniffing.

His gaze dropped onto the pink-haired girl.

 _It's the fangirl_. He remembered. _Haruno Sakura, one of the two lead fangirls of Uchiha Sasuke._ Did the boy reject her again? But when had his rejection ever made her cry?

"Hachiko continues his daily walk to the same spot in front of the train station to wait for his master, till his final day. That day, he saw Ueno coming out of the station and the two greeted each other. Hachiko is last seen lying on the snow, alone and still." **(1)**

Naruto finished, his eyes dry of tears. He had read this story too many times to cry about it, but it was different for Sakura. For a girl, especially an animal-loving girl, such a story like this where a puppy died was the best weapon to strike her heart.

"W-why...why does Hachiko have to die!" Sakura sobbed, hiding her face in her hands. Her whole body was shaking. Sasuke was patting her back comfortingly, knowing she'd punch Naruto if he did it. "What did he do wrong? What had he done to you! Why do you have to kill him, Naruto!"

"It was just a story, Sakura-"

"It was not! Hachiko is real and alive, in my heart!" Sakura cried, hands covering the spot where her heart was. "Why do you have to kill him! You made that story up didn't you? So you could change the ending and make him alive! Why don't you!?"

"Sakura, if Hachiko had lived, then what's the whole point of this story? If he had lived, then the feels would be gone." Naruto explained. "The main point of this story is to make the readers see Hachiko's loyalty to his master. If Ueno had returned, though the readers would be happy, but this story won't be as powerful and heart-striking as it is. Imagine it, if this story is a happy ending, I bet you'd forget about it in a few hours. But because this story is a tragedy and had made you so emotional to the point to even cry, you wouldn't forget this story for days, or maybe even weeks."

Sakura wanted to deny him, but found she couldn't. Wasn't it the same with _Daughter of Evil_? If the girl wasn't so evil to destroy an entire country just because she's pissed, maybe Sakura wouldn't be so emotional after reading the poem and become so captivated with the story. The same goes for this story, _Chuken Hachiko_ (which means 'Faithful Dog Hachiko'). If Hachiko and Ueno hadn't died, the most she'd do is like the story and forget about it in a few hours. But because Hachiko had died, Sakura wouldn't be able to forget about him. Whenever she sees a dog, she'd be reminded of Hachiko. Whenever she thinks of Hachiko, she'd want to cry. Hachiko would stay in her heart and her life forever, just like _Daughter of Evil_.

"Well..."

All three heads turned to the foreign voice (for Sakura that is), and saw a strange man wearing a mask covering his nose and mouth, and a slanted headband covering his left eye.

"My first impression of you guys is-"

"And why do _you_ have to be so late?" Sakura's sudden question stopped Kakashi from finishing his sentence. He stared at her in bewilderment.

"W-what?" He spluttered.

"I said why do you have to be so late!?" Sakura cried. She couldn't rebut Naruto, so she could only vent her anger on her jounin sensei who was late for over three hours! If Naruto hadn't decided to tell them a story, then she'd be bored to death!

"I-I-...I'm sorry?"

"No! You're not sorry! If you're sorry then you wouldn't be late for three hours! And because you're late, I have to listen to Naruto's tragic story and cry and make my eyes all red and puffy and ugly! It's all your fault!"

"I-I-I...see you on the roof in five minutes!" Couldn't find anything to say, Kakashi shunshin-ed away.

Naruto and Sasuke exchanged eye contacts. Well, that had never happened in any loops before.

"What're you two waiting for? Let's go!" Sakura yelled at both Naruto and Sasuke and quickly left the room, shutting the door loudly.

"And now she's mad at _me_." Sasuke glared at Naruto. "It's all your fault. Couldn't you have told her other stories? If you want a character to die so badly, then even Little Red Riding Hood would work."

Naruto deadpanned. "Honestly? She's not a child, Sasuke. She's a pre-teen."

"Well, she is a child to me."

"Yet you still dream about her sometimes." Naruto smirked.

"I dream about my last wife Uchiha Sakura, who died at 74 years old! Not this child-Haruno Sakura!" Sasuke argued, face reddening.

"Yeah yeah, whatever you say."

"Hn."

"And even after hundreds of loops, you still couldn't lose this Uchiha-habit."

"Hn!"

* * *

 **(1) Hachiko:** This is a true story. There's a movie version of it, but I decided to use the true, original, Japanese story of it. It's about a dog named Hachiko waiting for his master Ueno at the station every day, waiting to greet his master when he steps out of the train after work. But one day Ueno died and did not return, but Hachiko obviously didn't know. So he waited there, and waited, in the cold winter snow. When his family dragged him back home, he escaped and continued to wait there, until the day he died in the snow, alone and cold.

 **AN:** Reviews please!


	14. Chapter 13 'Yaoi'

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto.

 **WARNING:** This chapter has mentions of gays and yaoi. I did not write it to offend anyone, so I hope no one is offended. Also, if you're not comfortable with yaoi, don't worry. It's not real yaoi.

* * *

 **Chapter 13 'Yaoi'**

-Konoha, on a sunny day, rooftop-

Three people were boring their eyes into one man, making him sweat with anxiety.

 _It's my first time teaching! Please don't make it so hard for me!_

"Ahem...well, how about we introduce ourselves first?" Kakashi suggested, hoping this can break the ice.

"Why don't you go first?" Sakura glared.

Kakashi gulped. The girl looked murderous. Seems like he couldn't use his 'creative' introduction now, for his own safety. "My name is Hatake Kakashi. I like to read. I don't like when my precious books are taken away. My hobby is to read. And my dream is to marry a kind woman and live a good life." _There! Now she would think I'm a smart, artistic man who does not have any association with perverts or hentai and thus she wouldn't get mad at me and possibly end my life before I can find my sperms a safe home!_

Unfortunately, Sakura wasn't paying attention to what he's saying, because her mind was still on poor Hachiko.

"Now's your turn, Pinkie."

Sakura glared at him, and began. "I'm Haruno Sakura. I like Nakamura Tenzoi-" Naruto and Sasuke exchanged a curious glance, but no one saw it. "-Hachiko-" Sakura glared at Naruto, who grinned weakly. "-and the Konoha Times. I don't like the evil girl-" Naruto and Sasuke raised a brow. _Could she mean-_ "-and anything spicy. My hobby is reading. And my dream is to be able to meet Nakamura Tenzoi in person for once."

 _Great. A Sasuke-fan no more, but now a Tenzoi-fan? But at least we know that our alias Nakamura Tenzoi had gained one fan._

"That's...unexpected." Kakashi uttered in disbelief. He's pretty sure the profile said the girl was a huge fangirl. How come she didn't blush in the Uchiha's presence? "You're next, Uchiha."

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke and I like Naruto." Three sets of eyes widened. Naruto stared at him in utter disbelief. "I hate the villagers who are mean to Naruto. My hobby is to train with Naruto. And my dream is to be able to protect Naruto's first kiss until I'm ready (because only he's stupid enough to lose it to some stranger)."

Kakashi and Sakura were staring at him as if they were seeing him for the first time...wait. That wasn't a good description. Let's try this: They were staring at him as if he had just turned into a girl... Yeah, that's a better one.

 _Kakashi: Nononononoooo I knew I should never take a team! Not only did I get a evil pinkie but I also get a gay boy!_

 _Sakura: Sasuke-kun...is gay? ...Well that's none of my business since I have no interest in him anymore. But...Sasuke and Naruto...? *blush*_

 _Naruto: What the hell is Sasuke thinking!? W_ _hy did he say it as if we are...um... But he never does things without a reason, so he must be planning something. I guess I'll go along with him then._

"Oh don't worry I won't lose my first kiss before you do." Naruto smirked and shared a knowing glance with Sasuke, as if they knew something no one else knows, which confused the other two present. "I guess it's my turn huh? Well, you all know me, I'm Uzumaki Naruto. I like ramen and Sasuke." Yet again, Kakashi and Sakura gaped at them. "I don't like fangirls. My hobby is exploring life. And my dream is to protect _Sasuke's_ kiss until _I'm_ ready."

 _Alright, something must be going on between them,_ thought Sakura and Kakashi.

"Ok! So far for the introductions. Tomorrow we'll start our duties as shinobi. First, we'll be having a survival training."

"Training? We have had enough training in the academy. We don't need more," Sakura wondered out loud.

"This isn't normal training. This time, I'm your opponent. And..." Kakashi smirked. "Of the 27 graduates, only 9 will be chosen to become a genin. The rest will be send back to the academy. This training is a very difficult exam with a failure rate of over 66%!" _TADDA!_

Sakura dropped her jaws, Sasuke and Naruto...looked bored.

"Why aren't you two surprised?" Kakashi voiced his mind.

"Why should we be? I know the exam may be hard, but not to us. If we're fighting you, then we'll win for sure, especially now that there're three of us against one of you," Naruto said.

 _Good. It seems that he had caught onto the teamwork aspect of this exam. But where did he gain the rest of his confidence from?_

"Besides, I had been pranking the ANBU since I was born, and I had never failed to outran them!" Naruto smiled. Oh the good memories... "And we all know Sasuke is strong, and Sakura isn't weak either. So why should we be worried?"

"...Good point." Kakashi couldn't help but agree. He had seen with his own eyes how fast Naruto was at escaping after his pranks. "But I'm different from them. You may not know, but I was an ANBU commander before I decided to take my first genin team. So don't think so high of yourself."

Naruto and Sasuke still didn't look surprised. Sakura, however, looked curious at the new information.

"...Anyway, tomorrow you'll have to show your real skills on the training gorund. Bring all the shinobi tools you have." Kakashi stepped away from the railings- "Oh...and I suggest you to skip breakfast, you might throw up." -and shunshin-ed away.

Before anyone could say anything, Sakura spoke up, a little shyly, "n-neh, N-naruto, Sasuke-kun, a-are you two...dating?"

"Pffffttt!" Naruto would've spitted if he was drinking any liquid. "Of course n-"

"Yeah we are," Sasuke lied. Ignoring Naruto's murderous glare, he continued. "Saying the truth, I have always liked him, but to protect my crush from the jealousy of my fangirls, I didn't make my feelings known. But now that we have graduated, and I happened to be on the same team as he is, I can protect him whenever and wherever. So I confessed to him yesterday, and he agreed. You would keep our relationship a secret would you?" Sasuke asked, grabbing a strong hold on the arm that's threatening to punch him.

"O-of course!" Sakura exclaimed.

"Good." Sasuke smiled and shunshin-ed away with Naruto.

Above them lying prone to the rooftop of a higher building, Kakashi almost dropped his book in surprise.

 _Great. Just great. One problem (fangirl) solved, now another problem raised. What should I do with your son...sensei?_

* * *

In the Uchiha compound, a red-faced Naruto was seen yelling at Sasuke.

"Is embarrassing me that funny to you!? Why do you have to tell them that?! We're not dating and we will never be! So keep your feelings to yourself!"

Sasuke spluttered, "don't tell me you actually believed that!" Naruto's incredulous expression told him the answer. Sasuke sighed. "You idiot. It was a lie for gods' sake!"

"A lie?" Naruto choked out.

"Yeah, I mean, since we are almost 24/7 together, it's hard to explain our relationship without making them suspicious and spilling the beans. So I thought of a way. If we are dating, then we'll have a reason to be together 24/7. If, for example, after we finish a mission, we tell them that the two of us are leaving together. Knowing our relationship, they'd just assume we're off to...snog...or something. They wouldn't suspect us of betraying Konoha and making dangerous jutsus and such."

It took a moment for Naruto to accept Sasuke's reasoning. "Fine. I guess I'll accept that. Especially since Ibiki is now very suspicious of me. If I acted abnormal and stayed with you 24/7 (even if they have seen from my faked memories that we have always been like this), he'd think we're up to something." Suddenly, Naruto slapped his forehead. "That reminds me!"

* * *

After Kakashi had left his office, Sarutobi leaned back in his comfortable chair and sighed.

Naruto and Sasuke. What a big surprise.

Just how many surprises is Naruto going to bring him?

Sarutobi eyed his crystal ball with an evil thought running through his mind.

Maybe...he can use it to see what the two are doing? I mean...guy/guy isn't that different from guy/girl...

Sarutobi started snickering madly with a trail of blood running down his nose.

His ANBU all edged away from him slowly... Their Hokage was in creepy pervert mode again...

That night, after dismissing all his ANBU, Sarutobi rubbed his hands together gleefully, and began channeling chakra into the crystal ball.

Just then-

KABOOM!

The exploding tag that was placed underneath the crystal ball ignited and almost burned Sarutobi's beard.

Sarutobi cursed.

"These two little brats knew I was gonna do this!"

Well, too bad. It seemed that Naruto and Sasuke knew him too well.

* * *

 **AN:** Haha this chapter, though hilarious to write, took me double the usual amount of time.

I'm still looking for a beta...

Please leave a review. (I heard that readers are more likely to review if the author ask in a creative manner. Like a joke, or a riddle, or a question. Should I do that? But I feel that that way, people aren't reviewing for my story, but for my jokes/riddles/questions.)


	15. Chapter 14 Servant of Evil

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto or the songs. The lyrics used in this chapter were translated and sang by Enn (links in my profile).

 **AN:** Due to an enthusiastic reader, I decided to upload this chapter early.

Mebuki is Sakura's mother. Kizashi is Sakura's father. The names were found on Naruto wikia.

* * *

 **Chapter 14 Servant of Evil**

The next morning, Sakura woke up extra early to get the daily Konoha Times. She then took a warm shower and dressed in her normal clothes. When she was ready for breakfast, her parents have already woken up.

Sakura quickly greeted them and sat down on the breakfast table. She took the literature page and gave the rest to her father. This action had already become a daily routine for the Haruno family. Not noticing her parents' curious glance, Sakura quickly found her way to the name 'Nakamura Tenzoi' and began savoring the new poem. As she had thought, today's poem was a continuation of yesterday's _Daughter of Evil_. This one, however, was titled _Servant of Evil_.

 _O my Queen, you have me as your faithful servant alone_  
 _We were twins, torn apart when our fates should have shone_  
 _O my Queen, to shield thee from danger's deadly call_  
 _I will sin, I will kill, I will sacrifice my all_

"I knew it! That servant who looks like the evil girl is foreshadowing this! He's her twin!" Sakura exclaimed. However, another question rose in her mind. From these four lines, she could tell that this servant loves his twin sister very much. So would he really allow her to be punished and killed? Would he do nothing to stop it?

 _Fourteen years ago we were both born into this hell_  
 _Praised and blessed by the people and the church's bell_  
 _Being in our family we must play by the rules_  
 _Even if we look the same, I am destined as your tool_

 _They can swear you their enemy, or curse all they want_  
 _They can brandish their swords, and be on the hunt_  
 _Never fear, never cry, I will always be near_  
 _Let not your smile, my sun, turn into icy tears_

"What a faithful servant... Such an evil girl doesn't deserve his loyalty..."

 _O my Queen, you have me as your faithful servant alone_  
 _We were twins, torn apart when our fates should have shone_  
 _O my Queen, to shield thee from danger's deadly call_  
 _I will sin, I will kill, I will sacrifice my all_

 _While running errands in a peaceful town nearby_  
 _I ran into a pleasant lady with emerald green eyes_  
 _Smiling with her face so fair, singing with her voice so bright_  
 _I was captivated then, knowing love at first sight_

Sakura suddenly stopped, her hands began to shake. "Please don't tell me..."

 _But this love will remain locked deep inside_  
 _For the Queen gave orders, "The girl must die"_  
 _I will answer her wishes, her mind I will ease_  
 _So why, my Lord, do my tears fail to cease?_

"Oh god no... He fell in love with the Green girl... So why! Why does he kill her!? Is the Queen _that_ important to him!? Does his loyalty to the Queen matter more than his love towards the Green girl!?" Sakura didn't even notice her mother's placing her toast in front of her because her eyes were glued onto the words on the page. These magical words seemed to have blocked her from reacting to anything else that was happening.

To be ordered to kill your love, and to know that it's impossible to avoid it. _.._ Sakura doesn't even know how to describe what the boy must be feeling at the moment. Agony, pain, suffer... None of these words was powerful enough to be on par with the servant's feeling.

 _O my Queen, you have me as your faithful servant alone_  
 _We are twins, like two seeds in the soils of madness sown_  
 _"O my Queen, your dessert for today is brioche"_  
 _And you smiled, and you smiled, innocent without a flaw_

 _People of the country were possessed with fear and rage_  
 _Threatening to kill the Queen, to move on to a new age_  
 _If this is what they call a retribution for her sins_  
 _God's words I will go against, for the life of my twin_

"No!" Sakura seemed to have seen something for she suddenly screamed at the page, scaring her parents and almost making her mother drop a glass of milk. Her eyes continued to wander down the words.

 _"Here are my spare clothes, now wear these and run_  
 _Don't turn back, don't stop, don't talk to anyone_

"Nononono! Don't!" Sakura yelled, her eyes widening to the point that made her look almost haunted. But she doesn't care. Even if she's on the street filled with bystanders, she wouldn't care how ugly she looked at the moment.

 _Don't you worry we look the same in every way_  
 _No one would ever notice that you got away"_

"Don't do it! That bitch doesn't deserve your loyalty! She doesn't deserve you dying in her place!" Sakura didn't seemed to hear her parents' angry remark, 'language!'

 _O now I am the Queen, and you the escapee_  
 _We are twins, like two boats in the stormy sad seas_  
 _They say you are a lady of vice and disdain_  
 _Then I am evil as well, with the same blood in my veins_

"No... You're not evil..." Tears streamed down Sakura's face, and Sakura let them flow. Maybe crying could help her understand the servant's feeling more? "If you're evil, then I'm evil too. For my dad was a ninja and had killed, and I shared his blood..." Kizashi widened his eyes and moved to tell his daughter that she was wrong, but Sakura wasn't listening.

 _Once upon a time in a country far away_  
 _Where a lot of crimes were committed every day_  
 _My lovely little sister who was fourteen years of age  
_ _Was crowned as the Queen, dancing on history's stage_

 _They can swear you their enemy, or curse all they want (Finally, long awaited, the time had come)  
_ _They can brandish their swords, and be on the hunt (The deafening chimes sounded a little bit glum)  
_ _Never fear, never cry, I will always be near (The crowd showed not a sign of sympathy)  
_ _Let not your smile, my sun, turn into icy tears (Grinning to the world, you spoke my line on your knees)_

"These lines in parentheses...are the evil girl's words?" Sakura was stunned. The evil girl was there when the 'Queen' was punished? She had to see her own twin get _killed_!? What would her reactions be then? Would she feel regretful? Would she cry? Or would she smile, because her twin's dying in her place? What would she do?

 _O my Queen, you have me as your faithful servant alone_  
 _We were twins, torn apart when our fates should have shone_  
 _Somehow in our next life, if we ever meet again_  
 _Let us play together once more, and be the best of friends_

 _TBC_

The poem had ended, but Sakura didn't put down the newspaper. She sat frozen in her chair, eyes staring blankly at her lap.

"Sakura? Sakura dear?" Mebuki called hesitantly, shaking her daughter's shoulders lightly. Getting no response, she glanced at her husband for help.

Kizashi moved towards Sakura and snapped his fingers, then he whispered, "Sasuke-kun is here to see you!"

Still, no response.

"Sakamoto-sensei is here to give you an autograph!"

Nope. No response.

In the corner of his eyes, Kizashi saw the foreign name on the page that his daughter was tightly gripping, and decided to try it out.

"Nakamura Tenzoi is here!"

In an instant, Sakura snapped her head up with a furious look adorning her features.

"He's here? That bastard is here!?" She cried in a mix of surprise and anger. "He dared to show his face after what he had done!?"

"What? Did he do something to you?!" Kizashi exclaimed. Anyone who dared to harm his daughter deserves a death penalty! "Don't worry! Papa will help you get revenge!"

"Papa..." Sakura shook her head. _He didn't harm her?_ Then she nodded. _Or did he?_

"He...he..." Tears began rolling down her cheeks uncontrollably. "H-how could he kill him? He was s-so loyal and kind and loving; yet, he made him d-die! Die in place of that deserving, evil little bitch!"

"Honey..."

"Mama..." Sakura turned to Mebuki. "Why? Why does he have to die?"

They both couldn't answer her question.

Sakura stood up suddenly and turned toward the door.

"Sakura, where are you going?"

"I'm going to Konoha Publisher!" She said as she put on her shoes. "I still have time before the team meeting. I'm going to find that Nakamura bastard and question him face to face!"

"What about your breakfast?" Mebuki eyed the untouched toast.

"No time to eat!"

The door slammed shut.

Her parents stared at each other questioningly. Then, dismissing Sakura's behavior as normal puberty behavior, they went back to their normal routine.

Kizashi picked up the newspaper Sakura had dropped and began reading the poem.

That day, Nakamura Tenzoi had gained two new fans.

Unlike the first poem, this poem had gained Nakamura Tenzoi more fans than the day before.

For example...

In a certain household, a young girl was seen yelling at her older brother.

"Look at you! And look at him! His younger sister made him kill the girl he loved! And he did just that! And now when she's gonna be punished, he stood in her place and died for her! He loved her _that_ much and did his older brother's duty _that_ well! And now look at you!" Aka screamed, picking a ripped dress. "I don't need you to love me as much as to die for me, but the least you could do is listen to me and stop ruining my stuff! Now what am I supposed to wear when my date is arriving in less than five minutes!?"

Her older brother bit his lips and argued. "And I already said I'm sorry! Besides, it wasn't completely my fault! You shouldn't have left your _oh so precious_ dress on the sofa where you _know_ I usually sit!"

"Fine! I accept your apology! But now what!? My dress is ruined! My date is ruined! My day is ruined! My LIFE is ruined! And it's all because of you!" Aka screamed frantically. "Why can't you be more like him!?" She threw two cut-out scraps of newspaper at Aoi and bolted out of the room in tears.

"Hmph. What's the big deal. It's just a dress. She has a full wardrobe of them." Aoi picked up the scraps and scoffed. "You said he's better than me. Pff. Let's see it then."

Ten minutes later, a very emotional Aoi laid down the poems. He looked up, forcing the tears to flow back into his eyes.

"You're right. Comparing to him, I suck." He stared at the author name, a relieved smile creeping onto his face. "Thank you, Nakamura Tenzoi, for showing me how bad I am as an older brother. Becoming your fan is the least I can do in return for your help."

Ever since that day, Aoi began treating his younger sister with more care and love.

* * *

 **AN:** I'm back from my vacation!

As usual, review please!


	16. Chapter 15 Instruments Completed

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto or any anime mentioned, but I do own the four ÄRMs I created.

 **AN:** Sorry for the late update. I totally forgot yesterday was Friday o(╯□╰)o

* * *

 **Chapter 15 Instruments Completed**

When Sakura was young, she had won a writing contest held by Konoha Publisher. As a reward, her story was published on the children's section on Daily News and she had won a small amount of money. That also earned her a chance to visit the Publisher and see its inner workings.

Racing out of her house, Sakura halted a step to bring up her memory of the time in which she had visited the Publisher. With its location clear in her mind, Sakura continued her run to the company.

It was still half an hour before she has to meet with her new team, so Sakura had plenty of time to visit the publisher then go meet them.

"I want to meet Head Editor Seito." Sakura said to the front desk lady as soon as she entered the building.

"Do you have an appointment?" The lady replied in a passive tone.

"No, but I only have a quick question to ask. It'll only take a second!"

"No appointment, no meeting."

Sakura glared at her, but the lady didn't change her decisions. With a mock disappointed sigh, Sakura left the building.

Outside was a postman delivering mails. When he had left, Sakura henged into him with a illusionary cardboard box in her hands. She walked back in, and this time, she successfully made past the front door lady without any interruptions.

Up the stairs, turn left, third door to the right.

Sakura kneeled down next to the door and carefully turned the knob, pushing the door open only a creak to sneak a glance without being noticed.

Inside were two men who seemed to be in an argument with each other.

"This man is a genius! His first poem had earned us more money than we usually earn with ten of the pro writer-Sakamoto-sensei's poems! His second poem had sold more copies than all of Sakamoto-sensei's poems combined! We'd be a laughing stock if we don't sign him down!" A shorter man was yelling at a taller man.

The taller man sighed and replied, "I've already told you, Nakamura Tenzoi had not left us any contact information. Nothing of that sort! We aren't even sure if he IS a 'he'! All he sent us was a letter of his poem, a sentence saying for it to be published, and a signature of his name-Nakamura Tenzoi."

"No address!?"

"None. The letter only had a destination address. It was as if he had come and left the letter in our mailbox!"

"I don't care!" The shorter man shouted and slammed a piece of paper down onto the desk. "No matter what, I want to see this publishing contract signed by the end of this week!" He moved to leave, but before he could, a silver, transparent wolf-like creature glided right through the door and landed quietly in front of the two stunned civilians. It stretched, then scratched its paws. All the while the two men were too afraid to make a sound.

After what seemed like ages, the mystifying creature finally opened its mouth...and, surprisingly, a clearly artificial, mechanical voice began speaking.

"I will not sign any contracts until you have discovered my hidden messages in my poems and published them."

The voice stopped abruptly, like an old radio that suddenly got turned off. The creature yawned and jumped into the air, dissipating into nothingness, leaving behind a trail of mist **(1)**.

Sakura stared at the mist in awe.

 _What kind of jutsu is that?_

* * *

In the Uchiha compound, Sasuke suddenly smirked, causing Naruto who had just come out of the restroom to frown.

"What?"

That damn smirk again.

"You'll see. By the end of tomorrow, the whole Konoha will know our alias."

"You..." Naruto slapped his hand onto his forehead. "I told you to stop making moves without telling me first. How many times do I have to say this?"

"Don't worry, you'll love this. Just wait and see." Sasuke stretched his legs out in front of him, with a yawn, and said, "Kakashi won't show up for about three hours. We should have plenty of time to practice this.

"Practice what?"

Sasuke glared blankly at him.

"We are singers. What do we practice? Singing and performing of course!"

Not waiting for Naruto's response, Sasuke thrust a guitar into his hand. It looked just like an ordinary guitar except it has a golden gem embedded in the head. Sasuke held up his own that looked the same except it has a silver gem.

"But I don't know how to play the guitar!" Naruto cried, cradling the guitar carefully as if it's a baby.

"While you were sleeping and lazying around," Sasuke sent a reproachful glare at a pouting Naruto. "I've been working hard on making this loop meaningful and entertaining. Who's the one who stayed up all day and night gathering materials and racking his brain up to build the instruments?"

"It's not my fault when you voluntarily did all the work..."

"Do you want me to find a girl right now and-"

For some unknown reason, this idea seemed to frighten Naruto.

"No! Don't! I'm sorry, alright? I promise I'll work hard on this!"

Sasuke waited a moment as if he's pondering the idea, then he creepily smiled.

"Alright. Then don't complain about the incoming devil training."

Naruto trembled at the evil, nasty grin.

"Anyway, while you were lazying around, I'd found out a way to help you be able to perform music without any learning experience."

"Is that even possible!?"

"Yes. As you can see, our world has no fairy tales. Therefore, the Fairyland of this world is deteriorating to the point of nearly nonexistent." Naruto seemed to have trouble catching on to Sasuke's words. "Last night I went to visit the Queen. I offered to help her collect Happiness Tones to restore Fairyland, and in return, she gave us these magic gems that can enhance our music abilities."

"But if this world has no fairy tales, then where do the Happiness Tones come from?" Naruto questioned. It didn't take long for him to realize what Sasuke was talking about. After all, only one world they've gone to has a Fairyland. **(2)**

"That's where your ability come into use." Sasuke flashed a familiar handseal. "You get all your shadow clones's memories. In a sense, your clones have photographic memory so they remember everything they've seen."

"And?"

"Whenever we go to a new world, isn't the first thing I adviced you to do is use your clones to read all the books in every libraries you can find? Which means, you should have all the fairy tales memorized word for word in your head."

"And you want me to introduce Konoha to these fairy tales." Naruto sighed. "Fine fine. I'll do it. Since I'm the only one who's fit for this job."

"And while you do that, you also have to practice playing the guitar " Sasuke smirked when Naruto groaned. "A silencing barrier had already been set up around the compound. And with all the seals and wards we'd put around, no one will be able to sneak into it."

"How do you use this thing anyway?" Naruto strung his guitar lightly. "I don't even know how guitar works."

"Try to connect with the gem. Close your eyes, and feel the magic radiating off of the gem. Grab the magic, and try to build a connection. To play the guitar, simply imagine the the song playing in your mind. The magic will then take control of your body and play the song with whatever instrument the gem was embedded in."

"Really?!" Naruto immediately closed his eyes and tried to feel the magic...but... "Wait... This is not... I felt something else." He opened his eyes. "It's...familiar...but...is it?"

"Yup, just say it."

"This is an...ÄRMs?" Naruto said uncertainly, eyeing the guitar in his hands. When Sasuke merely smirked, Naruto shouted, "You made a freaking ÄRMs!?" **(3)**

"Five." Sasuke corrected him, gesturing to a bass, a keyboard, and a percussion in the corner of the room. Ignoring Naruto's awestruck expression, Sasuke continued, "This is a weapon ÄRMs, similar to Hamelin's Soul Flute. When you use it to play music, you can use it to suck your target's chakra, only if you wanted to, of course. The magic gem the Queen gave us actually 'upgraded' the ÄRMs and made them even more powerful. It's a precaution in case we were attacked when performing and couldn't fight back with our attention elsewhere."

"You know what?" Naruto spread out his hands with palms facing upward. "I'm not even gonna ask you how you made it."

"It's easy to learn. Just a few specific books to read, few people to meet, and a few years of hard work. You can do it too if you had stopped flirting with Princess Snow."

"Hey!"

"Hurry up and start practicing. Time flies by fast and soon we'll have Kakashi knocking on our front door."

"Alright, geez."

* * *

Back at Konoha Publisher, the two men had finally snapped out of their trance.

"W-W-What the hell was that!?" The shorter man yelled, enraged, finger trembling as he pointed at the space where the creature had disappeared.

"I-I don't know! Maybe some special jutsu?"

The shorter men bit his lips; his huge round face reddening and quivering like an expanded balloon on the verge of exploding. "D-Do anything, ANYTHING, to find the said hidden message! I want them published and him signed! Do you hear me!?" He yelled, spits flying. "You better do this job well or else you'll find yourself replaced before you can say 'sorry'!" With his last spit flying onto the taller man's face, precisely on the tip of his nose, the shorter man stormed out of the room.

Sakura quickly kawarimi'd herself with a pot of plant nearby and ran out of the building.

It's a pity she'd missed the comical sight of the shorter man's tripping over the plant and falling flat on his face.

* * *

 **(1) Silver Creature:** It's the Patronus Charm from Harry Potter. Patronus' appearance differs for everyone and they can be used to deliver messages said to them. This creature is Sasuke's patronus, a wolf (I think it fits his personality, lonely but can work well with teammates-like how wolves hunt in a pack). As for why it spoke in a mechanical voice, Sasuke had made the computer say the message he typed out (it's possible, by typing out codings in a txt file).

 **(2) Fairyland:** From the anime Lilpri. With less and less people believing in fairy tales, Fairyland is withering away. The Queen send three magic gems to three elementary school girls. They used the gems to transform into adults and sing songs to make people happy, thus collecting Happiness Tones. The more they collect, the more parts of Fairyland are restored back to normal.

 **(3) ÄRMs:** From the anime MÄR: Marchen Awakens Romance. They are artifacts that come in all shapes and sizes and are used for a variety of purposes. Some can be tools, some can be weapons, some can teleport people, some can curse people and some can undo curses... They are "upgraded" with magic stones.

 **AN:** A twist! Hidden messages!


	17. Chapter 16 Anagram

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto.

* * *

 **Chapter 16 Anagram**

Sakura was walking home slowly, her mind still on the scene she has seen a minute ago. Apparently, even the Publisher doesn't know the identity of Nakamura Tenzoi, or his (if he even is a 'he') contact info, which means a mere academy graduate with no social connections has no way of getting in contact with the man.

"But if I can figure out the hidden messages..." Sakura murmured under her breath. "The publisher will publish them, then, as promised, Nakamura Tenzoi will need to sign the publishing contract. He will then be required to offer his personal info and I might then be able to sneak into the company and take a look at his contact info and..."

She began giggling uncontrollably. "Bad girl, bad girl Sakura!" She scolded herself. "Control yourself! Before I can do that last step, I'll need to figure out the hidden messages first!"

With a determined grin, Sakura bolted toward her house.

* * *

Three hours later in the Uchiha compound, a breathless Naruto lay on the ground, sweat pooling around him.

"This is...hell..." Naruto uttered in between heavy intakes of breaths.

"'Ten years of practice for one minute on the stage.'"

"Then what about you!?" He said to Sasuke who was typing what seemed like a story on the computer.

"I already know how to play the guitar, bass, and piano."

"No way!"

"Unlike you, I make sure to master something in every loop." Naruto looked doubtful. "During that loop where we were enrolled in Sobu High School, I befriended Hiratsuka-sensei, who taught me bass, and Hayato, who taught me guitar **(1)**. And in the loop where I was childhood friend with Kosei, he taught me how to play the piano **(2)**."

"B-But that doesn't mean you can slack off!"

"I've already left the easy instruments to you. Percussion is easy enough, since you play it at Game Centers all the time so you should know how it works."

Couldn't find anything to rebut, Naruto pouted dejectedly.

"The results better be worth it."

"Trust me. It will."

* * *

Sakura was the first one to arrive at the assigned meeting spot. She promptly sat down on the grass and took out two poems: _Daughter of Evil_ and _Servant of Evil._ Placing them on her lap, Sakura began analyzing them carefully.

Ten minutes later.

Sakura gritted her teeth.

"I will not give up!"

And so the gruesome search with a rumbling stomach began.

Three hours later, Sasuke and a grumbling Naruto arrived. They both raised an eyebrow when they heard consistent rumbling sound coming from a certain pink-haired genin's protesting stomach.

Naruto offered her an apple out of pity.

"Hey, Sakura-chan, eat this."

Perhaps she was too engrossed in her search and has forgotten about Kakashi's advice, Sakura took it with a quick word of gratitude and went back to her search.

"Aren't you going to eat it?" Naruto asked after five minutes of silence. Sasuke had already began napping below a tree nearby. "I'm not gonna poison you, you know? Unlike a certain old hag."

Silently, Sakura began eating. Even when she's done, she still didn't keep her eyes off of the poems.

"You know...you should rest your eyes every thirty minutes. It's bad for your eyesight to keep staring at the same spot for a long time nonstop. Try to stare more at the greens. It's good for your eyes. Because your colour vision is a result of cone cells. People with normal vision have three cone cell types: red, green, and blue. Since of the 6 to 7 million you have, 45% are green, your eyes will work less to perceive green than do other colors. In fact, dark green is one of the most relaxing-"

"Naruto..." Sakura growled darkly, her eyes narrowing. "Shut the hell up."

Apparently, everything Naruto had just said had gone through one of her ears, and out the other.

"Sorry," Naruto smiled sheepishly. "I tend to can't stop when I'm on a roll, you know? Not the literal on-a-roll...I mean, how do you be literally on a roll? I'm talking about the figure of speech on-a-roll. Do you-"

"NARUTO!" A fist smashed onto the ground, creating a small dent. Naruto murmured a quiet 'oops.' "Didn't I tell you to shut the hell up!? I need to concentrate!"

"Do you need any help?" Naruto glanced at the poems. "Eh? Nakamura Tenzoi? What-"

"As if an idiot like you know who he is." Sakura immediately blocked the poems from his view. "I doubt you even know what poems are."

"You think too little of me, Sakura-chan!" Naruto pouted. "I do know what poems are. I'm not the idiot you think I am."

"Oh, really?" Sakura smirked, and thrusted two poems into his hands. "Fine. If you can find out the hidden messages in these two poems, I will stop calling you an idiot."

"Hidden messages?" Naruto frowned as he stared at the poems. _We didn't plan such things. So where do these hidden messages come from? "_ What hidden messages? There're none."

"And that's why you're an idiot." Sakura deadpanned, snatching the poems away. "Tenzoi had said it himself, so there must be hidden messages."

"He says what?!" Naruto exclaimed, but Sakura ignored him. Immediately, he turned his suspicious gaze towards the sleeping Sasuke. _That bastard...that must've been what he's smirking about..._

"Hey! Sasu-"

"Good mor~~ning!"

A cheerful greeting entered their ears, and at that exact moment, a strong blast of wind blew away Sakura's poems and her three hours of work.

"Nooooooo!" An ear-splitting scream erupted from Sakura's mouth. All three present, including the now awake Sasuke, covered their ears in agony. Sobbing with snots trailing down her nose, Sakura turned her death glare towards the just arrived Kakashi.

"What...did...I...say...about...being...LATE!?"

"Calm down, Sakura!" Surprisingly, it was Sasuke who stopped her. Naruto stared with opened mouth. _When did Sasuke ever care about Kakashi's well-being?_ "You should save your anger for later, when we have to fight him." _That tricky bastard! I should know better!_

 _"_ A-Alright. Well, to pass this survival training, you'll have to get these two bells from me," Kakashi gestured to the two bells hanging on his waist.

"That easy?" Sakura said with a taunting grin, "can we start now?"

"You should not underestimate a jonin, Sakura." Kakashi advised. "You can start...now!"

As the last syllable drifted into the air, Sakura sprung herself towards Kakashi, fist ready to pound him to death. With an unseen arrogant grin, Kakashi was ready to teach her a 'lesson,' when an orange blur flew past and shunshin'd her away. At the same time, Sasuke did the same, leaving Kakashi sighing in disbelief and...was that relief?

"And here I thought Naruto would be the hotheaded one. Seems like dating Sasuke has changed you a lot, huh?"

* * *

Somewhere in the bush, three genins were huddling together whispering a plan.

"Then, you can punch him until you grow tired of it."

"Sounds splendid." Sakura grinned, "I knew you'd know such a jutsu, Sasuke-kun."

"It's actually Naruto who came up with that," Sasuke lied.

"Really?" Sakura was surprised. "Hm, but he's still an idiot."

"Anyway, wait for our signal."

"Alrighty!"

* * *

Back to Kakashi.

It had been ten minutes since the three academy graduates have dashed away. During the entire time, Kakashi had been reading his porn book. It wasn't because he was underestimating the three genins. It's because as an experienced jonin, not to say, a past ANBU captain, he had been through so many battles that his body would automatically block incoming attacks.

Kicks or jutsus, he could dodge them with his eyes closed. Just by feeling the air current, he could have a basic understanding of where the enemy was coming from and what kind of jutsus his opponent was using.

That's why he fell into the three's traps.

Obviously, nobody would expect a mere academy graduate to completely master a jutsu, as in, being able to use it wordlessly and signlessly.

And thus, when Naruto cast a silent, wandless stunning spell at him, it hit him with full force **(3)**. Unconscious, Kakashi fell onto the ground along with his porn book, which Sasuke grabbed and and hid in his pocket.

"Gotcha!" Naruto cried, hands holding two golden bells.

At the same time, Sakura jumped out of the bush and began pounding Kakashi to death.

After a long time, she finally stopped, but only when Kakashi's face was unrecognizable. Yes, his unmasked face.

Kakashi couldn't control his tears when he was finally revived by Naruto, yet again, silently and wandlessly.

"Though terrible... I must praise you on your teamwork." He questioned Naruto, "What was that jutsu you had used?"

"It's the temporary paralysis jutsu with a few extra handseals that can increase its effect, making it paralyze the victim's brain momentarily, thus knocking you unconscious," Naruto lied easily.

Kakashi glanced at him suspiciously, "You created it? But-"

"Kakashi-sensei, do you think I'm protected all the time?" Naruto asked with a kicked puppy face. "When I was chased by mobs," insert a sob and a few fake tears, "sometimes the ANBUs just stand there watching. I have to learn to protect myself."

"Naruto..." Kakashi began guiltily.

"No, sensei. Anything you say is years too late," Naruto smiled forcefully, eyes glistening with tears. "I need to protect myself if I want to survive. That's why I learned this jutsu and 'upgraded' it. That way, even if I can only use it on one person at a time, I can still slow down the mobs a little."

"I'm sorry, Naruto. I never know-"

"And because sometimes even ninjas of my own village attack me, I have to master this jutsu completely so I can use it wordlessly against them when they let down their guards...and escape if I'm lucky."

As Naruto began telling his sorrowful life, Sakura watched from aside in surprise and pity. Turning to Sasuke, she asked, "is all this true?"

"Yes."

"But why?" She cried, "why would they attack him? Is it because of his pranks?"

"You're not ready to know, Sakura. He'll tell you when he's ready. For now, just pay more attention to the villagers if you happens to walk along with him."

"Okay..."

Back to Naruto and Kakashi.

"Even Ibiki hates me. He'd rather believe a spy than believe me. It's all because I jailed the kyuubi," Naruto was still telling his sob story.

"Then he's an idiot," Kakashi tried to comfort the boy. "Don't worry Naruto, I won't let him place the blame on you. Mizuki's a spy and I'll make sure he gets the punishment he deserves. You'd already been through enough; you don't need more suffering and suspicions."

"Thank you, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto murmured in between sobs. When Kakashi turned away, Naruto grinned wickedly. But when Kakashi glanced back at him, he immediately put his kicked puppy face back on.

"Good work, everyone." Kakashi addressed to the whole team. "You passed. I believe you have already figured out the meaning of this test. Can anyone tell me?"

"It's teamwork," Sakura said. Sasuke and Naruto have told her the answer when they were planning.

"Correct."

Kakashi then gestured to the memorial stone behind him and began his speech.

Having heard the speech over hundreds of time, the two loopers tuned out his voice and began conversing using morse code as they tapped their fingers on the other's hand.

Seeing the scene, Kakashi sighed.

 _Ah, teenage love..._

SO YOU DID ALL THAT JUST FOR FUN!?

Back to the two loopers, they were having a small disagreement.

OF COURSE.

DID YOU FORGET WHAT HAPPENED LAST TIME WHEN MY IDENTITY WAS LEAKED?

BUT THIS IS THE BEST WAY TO MAKE A LOOP ENTERTAINING.

BUT IF IT GOES BAD, I WILL RESTART THE LOOP.

SURE.

"Tomorrow will begin your first mission as a genin of Konoha." They turned their attention back to their sensei. Even though Kakashi may be impudent as an adult, he's still their sensei; no matter how strong they were, they were still his student, at the moment. Thus, they should still show a grain of respect toward the man.

"Meaning our days as laborers are finally starting," Naruto grumbled.

"Oh?"

"I've seen multiple times how a genin team would leave the hokage tower all cheerful and excited and return with claw marks or paints all over their face. And almost every ninja, no matter their rank, would twitch when a certain ugly-looking cat walks past them. You only need a bit of imagination to deduce the answer."

"Great observation, Naruto," Kakashi praised. "Indeed, D-ranked missions are often a little tiresome, but they are necessary to build up teamwork. When I believe your teamwork is decent and your strength has reached the required level, I will start taking higher ranked missions."

"That totally ruined my expectations for my first mission as a Konoha ninja," Sakura groaned.

"But that also means the sooner we prove that our teamwork is great and improve our strength, the sooner we can take higher ranked and more challenging missions."

"That's right!" Sakura agreed. She was actually excited about getting stronger. Because... "That reminds me. Sensei, is there a jutsu that allows the user to send messages using some sort of silver wolf-like creature?"

Naruto immediately glanced at Sasuke while the latter sighed. Of course she had seen his patronus if she knew about the hidden messages.

"I have never heard of any jutsu like that," Kakashi's tone leaked with curiosity. "Where did you see it from?"

"A person named Nakamura Tenzoi had used it. He's a poet who wrote Daughter of Evil and Servant of Evil."

Perhaps to mess with Kakashi, Naruto admittedly said, "I know him!" As everyone's gaze dropped on him, Naruto grinned. "He's that weirdo whose pen name is an anagram of my first name and the Fourth Hokage's last name!"

!

!?

Kakashi stilled.

Sakura gaped.

And Sasuke frowned, unable to believe Naruto would make such a suicidal move.

A finger quickly tapped the back of his hand.

SINCE YOU ARE ALREADY WRECKING HAVOC IN THIS LOOP, WHY NOT DO IT ALL THE WAY?

"Namikaze...Naruto?" Kakashi muttered as his brain quickly rearranged the letters of 'Nakamura Tenzoi' and formed 'Namikaze Naruto' precisely, with no alphabet remaining. "Wha- how-?!"

"I don't know, that's why I found him interesting. Maybe he's also a Fourth Hokage fan and a ramen fan, just like me!" Naruto said cheerfully.

"No wonder," Sakura seemed convinced of Naruto's reasoning.

But Kakashi wasn't.

Quickly standing up, he addressed to the team, "Meet here tomorrow at seven for your first mission. A good night sleep and breakfast is advised," and shunshin'd away.

"What's with him?" Naruto wondered, feigning a confused expression.

"Dunno, maybe he got to use the loo," Sakura said indifferently.

"Now that you've mentioned it..." Naruto twitched his nose. "Did someone just fart?"

Sasuke glared at him.

* * *

Sarutobi stared at the man in front of him with total seriousness.

"Are you sure this is not a joke?"

"No," Kakashi responded with equal seriousness. "I've checked many times. That man's name really is the anagram of 'Namikaze Naruto'. This is no joke."

"Nakamura Tenzoi..."

"Hokage-sama, do you think maybe Naruto he...?"

"No, that's impossible," Sarutobi immediately dismissed Kakashi's guess. "Naruto yearned attention and acknowledgement. If it's him, he would use his real name to post poems, especially since these poems seemed to be pretty popular. That way, he can gain the attention he wants and, at the same time, show people his poetic and educational side.

"And not to mention, if Naruto had found out his hereditary, he would either tell everyone or come straight to me for answers. He wouldn't be able to keep it to himself and live like normal."

"But then why did that man choose such a name?"

"Maybe like Naruto had said, he admires Minato and likes ramen."

"That doesn't explain why he would switch the letters around to form a new name."

"If he actually used that name," Sarutobi explained, "other Minato admirers would despise him for claiming relations to their idol. And because 'Naruto' is the village's infamous jinchuuriki's name, using that in the public wouldn't rouse a good reaction."

"Hokage-sama..."

"Kakashi, we shouldn't start a huge investigation in one civilian simply because of a name-"

"He's not a civilian."

"Oh?"

Kakashi told him what Sakura had said.

"I had never heard of that jutsu before," Sarutobi looked intrigued.

Kakashi was surprised. Even 'The Professor' doesn't know-?

"Which means he had created a jutsu that allows ninjas to communicate with each other's!?" Kakashi was shocked.

"And from your description, it seemed that this jutsu is far more efficient than using messengers birds or summons." Sarutobi chuckled. "What an interesting man..."

"But if he's a ninja of Konoha, how come we'd never heard about him? Someone like him wouldn't be able to remain hidden."

"Maybe this is our chance to seek him out." Sarutobi called his ANBUs to him. "Keep an eye on the news. If there is anything worth mentioning about this man, report to me immediately."

"Yes sir!"

"And Naruto?" Kakashi questioned after the ANBUs were gone. "Is it true that Ibiki had believed a spy over him?"

"Yes. He seemed to be a bit delusional, but it's nothing to worry about. He's doing a good job making Mizuki's life hell."

"Good for him," Kakashi smirked.

* * *

In front of a certain flower shop, two girls stood.

"Therefore, I need your help," Sakura concluded.

"I'd love to help, but I'm not good at these kind of things." Ino shrugged with a helpless expression. "You should ask Shikamaru. He loves puzzles."

"That lazy ass?" Sakura eyed Ino doubtfully. After all, Shikamaru had always been the second last in the class, just one rank above Naruto. The person who sleeps everyday was smart?

"Yes. You'll be surprised if you happens to see him actually putting his mind into use." Ino chuckled. "Anyway, notify me when he figures out these hidden messages, alright? After all, I'm also interested in Nakamura Tenzoi's identity."

'When', not 'if', because Ino's confident that Shikamaru could figure it out.

"No problem!"

* * *

 **(1) Bass and guitar:** From the anime Oregairu. Hiratsuka-sensei and Hayato have performed in the Cultural Festival with said instruments.

 **(2) Piano:** From the anime You Lie in April. Kosei is a piano prodigy.

 **(3) Stunning spell:** It's a charm from Harry Potter that renders a victim unconscious and halts moving objects; the incantation is _Stupefy_.

 **AN:** Naruto may appear too smart at the eyesight part, but please remember, that he had read every book in every library he had encountered in every loop, so this Naruto is extremely knowledgeable.

 **I might not update for a few weeks because my computer had broke. I'm still deciding whether to waste lots of money to fix it or buy a new one. Any ideas?**


	18. Chapter 17 Regret Message

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto or the songs. The lyrics found in this chapter were translated and sang by Ketsuban, with some editions of my own (link in my profile).

 **AN:** I'm back! I've bought a new computer and now my updates should be back on schedule (update every Friday).

I'm not good at writing articles, so please bare with me.

* * *

 **Chapter 17 Regret Message**

In a cold, early morning, just when the first ray of sunshine cut through the grey, gloomy sky, a certain blond looper hit his head on top of a modified computer and fell asleep. His face was filled with tiredness, dark rings covering the downside of his eyes, almost making him look like a certain red-haired jinchuuriki. Drool slowly slid down the corner of his lips, down his chin, and hit a key on the keyboard. On the monitor was an over 30 pages document filled with heavy chunks of texts.

Naruto continued to sleep. And as the sun rose, sky brightened, shops opened, the other looper began to stir awake. Sasuke slammed a hand against his eyes, grimacing at the brightness. It took a while for him to get used to the light, and he opened his eyes. His gaze immediately set upon the source of the brightness.

"NARU-" Halfway through his yell, Sasuke stopped himself when he took in the blond's peaceful sleepy face. He shook his head and decided to let it go for once. After a few quick taps of keys, Sasuke saved the document and shut down the computer, all the while grumbling about "wasting electricity and money".

When Sasuke had done his morning routine, he still had time to spare before Kakashi would show up at the assigned meeting spot for Team 7's first mission, so he jogged out and bought back a copy of today's newspaper.

The front page headline made him curl his lips into a wide grin.

 _ **HIGA SEITO HAS GONE INSANE!?**_

 _Written by Rita Sukita_

 _Yesterday evening, Konoha Publisher's Head Editor Higa Seito had made a decision that shocked the entire company. This was what he had said, "anyone who can find me the hidden messages in Nakamura Tenzoi's poems will receive one million ryou!" Yes, what you have just read is not a joke. Higa Seito is willing to spend one million ryou to know some hidden messages._ _Why would he do that?_ _As a fellow reporter of Konoha Publisher, I haven't been able to find any reason for Higa Seito's outrageous move. I had questioned a few reporters, but the answers I received were the same._

 _"In all my years of working here, Seito-san had always appeared to be a level-headed person. This is my first time seeing him lose his cool," said reporter Kiki Tanaka._

 _"I have no ****ing idea why Seito would waste ONE MILLION RYOU on some stupid messages! What's so great about this Nakamura guy anyway!?" Said reporter Yuma Haso._

 _Although Nakamura Tenzoi, the newbie poet who wrote 'Daughter of Evil' and 'Servant of Evil', had utterly defeated the professional writer Sakamoto-sensei by breaking his record on multiple accounts, what does his hiding messages in his poems have to do with Higa Seito? What's the significance of these hidden messages? How does Higa Seito know about their existence anyway? Are they worth spending one million ryou on? Or has Higa Seito gone insane?_

 _Follow up for more info to come._

"Good move, Seito-san." Setting down the newspaper, Sasuke entered the kitchen and began preparing breakfast for both him and Naruto. Knowing their first mission was going to be a huge pain in the ass, Sasuke made twice the usual amount of food he'd eat in the morning. After finishing his breakfast, he moved to wake Naruto up. Nudging the sleeping blond's shoulder, Sasuke said, "Hey, wake up, dobe."

Receiving no response, Sasuke nudged Naruto again. Still, no response. Sighing, Sasuke glanced at Naruto's weary expression, and took off his hand that's resting on the blond's shoulder.

 _I'll give him a free day, seeing how he's been working hard last night._ With that thought in mind, Sasuke made a shadow clone and transformed it into a clone of Naruto, clothes and all **(1)**.

* * *

Because of the article by Rita Sukita, the name 'Nakamura Tenzoi' reached the eyes and ears of people all across Konoha.

Who doesn't want money? Who doesn't want a simple way to gain money?

More than half the citizens of Konoha immediately chased after the messages like bees after honey. It wasn't a bad idea actually. The more people working to find the messages, the sooner and more likely they would be found.

And thus, when Nakamura Tenzoi's third poem was published, the newspaper's sales had reached a new level.

* * *

Shikamaru sighed for the fifth time this morning as he glared down at the newspaper with gloomy eyes. Sakura's voice was still ringing in his ears.

 _"Help me find the hidden messages, and I'll convince Ino to stop bossing you around. Plus, when you find it, you can tell the Publisher and gain one million ryou. I know you probably don't care about money, but it's still a win-win, yeah?"_

"Troublesome," Shikamaru groaned and picked up the newspaper reluctantly. Beside it lay yesterday's, and the day before's newspaper. All flipped to the Literature page. "'Regret Message'. I suppose it's the continuation of Servant of Evil." He had already read the first two poems and hasn't found anything, which means this hidden message possibly has bits and bits of it hidden in all the poems. Therefore forcing Shikamaru to read all of Nakamura Tenzoi's poems in order to find the messages.

"Troublesome," he groaned again before he began reading.

 _("Is this really worth your time? This can't possibly make your wish come true.")_  
 _("Would Milady like to try this too?")_  
 _("It's a game of the peasants; I don't need to try it. Besides... Len would grant me all my wishes, don't you?")_

"So the servant's name is Len," Shikamaru muttered. "It doesn't sound like Japanese."

 _In a town by a port looking out onto the sea_  
 _Alone on the sand stands a girl crying  
_ _And a custom persists  
_ _Today it still exists  
_ _Traditions from long long ago_

 _"Write down a wish on a piece of parchment,_ _("What are you wishing for everyday?")_  
 _Then place it in a bottle_ _("For Rin-sama's breasts to become bigger.")_

"Cough!" Shikamaru choked, face reddening. It's alright for a servant to say that to the Queen?

 _If you let it flow, t_ _hen someday it will grow_ _("Just kidding.)_  
 _And your heart's desire will be real"_ _("I wish Milady would be forever happy.")_

 _("If that's what you want, then always stay with me...because I'm the happiest when I'm with Len.")  
_ _("I'm glad that's how you feel...")_

"They must be very close...for the Queen to forgive her servant this easily. It seemed like they were childhood friends. Is that why Len was willing to die for her?" Subconsciously, Shikamaru began thinking about his childhood, and all the time he had spent with Chouji.

If he's in danger, even if he's at fault... Would Shikamaru be willing to die for him?

Without hesitation, he thought to himself, _yes, I would._

 _Flow along, glass bottle, and please don't take too long,_  
 _Cuz what I want the most is in that message_  
 _And on the other side of this sunset_  
 _Right there, my wish will disappear_

 _You would always do everything I asked you to_  
 _Really any request of mine and yet I still_  
 _Was a spoiled selfish brat and I really regret that_  
 _I always caused problems for you_

"Just like Ino," Shikamaru grinned. Rin and Ino, just an alphabet apart.

 _You who would grant me every single wish_  
 _Are no longer here with me_  
 _In this blue sea, will all my feelings_  
 _Arrive to where you are_

 _Flow along, little wish, and please don't take too long,_  
 _To take away my tears and all my regret,_  
 _It was too late by then, to fix my sins,_  
 _When they'd taken you far from me_

A chill climbed up Shikamaru's back. "Chouji..." he muttered. He'd kill himself before he'd harm Chouji. Chouji had been his friend since he's young, and Shikamaru wouldn't be able to live like normal if he lost Chouji.

Rin had realized her sins too late; but Shikamaru would not do so. He wouldn't commit these sins in the first place.

Silently, he promised himself. _I would never harm you, Chouji, nor would I let anyone else do so._ _I will protect you._

 _Flow along, glass bottle, and please don't take too long,_ _("I'm sorry")_  
 _Cuz what I want the most is in that message_ _("I'm sorry")_  
 _And on the other side of this sunset_ _("I'm sorry")_  
 _Right there, my wish will disappear_ _("I'm sorry")_

"That's a lot of sorry's."

 _Flow along, little wish, and please don't take too long,_ _("God...please...")_  
 _To take away my tears and all my regret,_ _("I beg you...")_  
 _"If we're ever reborn, I hope in my next life..."_

 _("It'll be nice if we become twins again.")  
_ _("Yeah, it will.")_

 _TBC_

"Amazing poem," Shikamaru praised, lifting his head. He had subconsciously leaned so close to the paper his nose was literally inches apart from the words; he never thought of himself as a literature person, but these poems had really hooked him in. The amount of emotions this poem generated even gave him goosebumps. For a moment, Shikamaru thought about thanking Sakura for introducing him to these poems, but then he shook the thought out of his head. He had to maintain his lazy persona.

Just when he was about to start analyzing the poem, he heard heavy knocking on his front door. Someone was at the door. Shikamaru heard the door's opening, his mother's welcoming, then hurried footsteps' sounding louder and louder.

BAM!

His door blasted open, revealing an out of breath, pink-haired girl.

"So! Did you find anything?" Sakura asked, breathing heavily.

"..." Shikamaru could feel a headache forming. "Not yet."

"No?! I haven't either. Maybe the hidden messages haven't shown up yet. I'll visit in a few more days. Good luck!" And she left, as sudden as she had arrived.

"...Troublesome..." Shikamaru sighed.

Five minutes later, his door was blast open again by Ino who was yelling at him to get ready for their first mission. Shikamaru shook his head miserably, praying this wouldn't be the kind of life he has to live until these troublesome girls get married.

* * *

 **(1) Shadow Clone of Sasuke** : By transforming I mean the physical transformation from Harry Potter. Because it's not a henge (illusion), it's impossible to be detected.

 **AN:** Teehee, Rita Sukita = Rita Skeeter, the biased reporter from Harry Potter. Had anyone caught onto that?

Reviews please! I live for reviews. Really, I do :-)


	19. Chapter 18 The Emperor's New Clothes

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto or The Emperor's New Clothes.

 **Dedication:** This chapter is dedicated to **10th Squad 3rd Seat** who had left a review on every single chapter of this story. I'm extremely happy to see my entire email page covered with "Review: Looping, oh the fun!" 18 reviews in a day! Thank you so much, my lovely readers, my reviewers!

 **AN:** In case you're confused as to why Naruto's writing fairy tales, go back to Chapter 15 and reread the middle section. It's all explained there.

* * *

 **Chapter 18** **The Emperor's New Clothes**

As Sasuke had expected, their first mission was to catch Tora the cat. Though Sasuke could use his knowledge and power to catch Tora in seconds, he had learned from experiences to not do so, because completing e mission too quickly would only push Kakashi to take more tiresome missions.

So, sighing like an old man, Sasuke and his clone-Naruto-began chasing after the cat and making a fool of themselves.

* * *

When Naruto woke up, he was surprised to see Sasuke gone. A glance at the clock told him it was already past noon. He couldn't believe Sasuke was actually generous enough to allow him to sleep in, which means Sasuke had probably made a shadow clone to take Naruto's spot so Kakashi wouldn't check up on him.

Perhaps he should thank Sasuke for this.

Reaching the kitchen, Naruto stopped in front of the refrigerator. A note with elegant writings imprinted on it was pinned on the magnetic door.

 _I let you sleep in because you had worked hard on the stories last night. There will be no next time, dobe.  
_ _-Sasuke_

Chuckling, Naruto crumbled the note and threw it in the trash can. He proceeded to open the door and take out the breakfast Sasuke had prepared for him. A simple heating spell made the food ready to be consumed. As usual, Naruto took big bites and finished it within minutes. After he was done, he walked around a bit, allowing the food to be digested, then he sat down at the computer and started it. Naruto checked the document carefully and thoroughly, then printed them out. It took a while, but he wasn't complaining, because having already gotten this all done means he only had to spent time on practicing playing the guitar in the next few days.

Taking only the first three pages of the printed pages, Naruto cast an invisible spell on himself and a silence charm on his shoes and made his way outside. A few minutes later, he reached a small company called "Playhouse," a Publisher for publishing children's books. Naruto had done research on this Publisher; it seemed that this was the only Publisher in Konoha that publishes children's books, which confirmed just how unpopular children's stories were, or shall I say, how badly written they were.

Smirking, Naruto made his way inside and found the Head Editor office with ease. Without the editor's noticing, Naruto left the pages on a nearly empty pile of commissioning work and silently left.

Now was time for some ramen!

* * *

Mia was the Head Editor of Playhouse and at the same time a single mother of a twelve years old civilian daughter. Her husband had died twelve years ago in the Kyuubi attack. Ever since then, she had hated the demon boy who bore the demon marks on his cheeks. She believed that the demon boy was the one responsible for her husband's death. She had been telling her daughter to stay away from the boy ever since the girl was little. The boy was a monster and no one could convince her otherwise.

Twelve years had past and Mia had gotten used to her life as an editor and a single mother. After years of refraining to cross path with the demon boy, Mia was able to repress her anger and hatred for the monster and live her life peacefully.

Today was no different. Mia was planning to finish her job quickly and return home to spend time with her daughter. As she read the commissioning stories absentmindedly, she began thinking about what she should prepare for dinner.

The title of one story caught her eyes.

"'The Emperor's New Clothes'? What's that supposed to mean?" Mia wondered. In all the children stories she had read, this was her first time coming across such a strange title. Almost all the children stories currently published were about peace and animals and love and were things that could put an adult to sleep. With a spark of curiosity in her eyes, Mia began reading the story.

 _ **Many years ago, there was an Emperor, who was so excessively fond of new clothes, that he spent all his money in dress. He did not trouble himself in the least about his soldiers; nor did he care to go either to the theatre or the chase, except for the opportunities then afforded him for displaying his new clothes. He had a different suit for each hour of the day; and as of any other king or emperor, one is accustomed to say, "he is sitting in council," it was always said of him, "The Emperor is sitting in his wardrobe."**_

Now, this was new! Mia laughed at this beginning. This King was such a disappointment; she wondered how he managed to keep his seat? His appearance was more important than his country? Mia believed that this King won't be able to keep his seat long.

 ** _Time passed merrily in the large town which was his capital; strangers arrived every day at the court. One day, two rogues, calling themselves weavers, made their appearance. They gave out that they knew how to weave stuffs of the most beautiful colors and elaborate patterns, the clothes manufactured from which should have the wonderful property of remaining invisible to everyone who was unfit for the office he held, or who was extraordinarily simple in character._**

"Invisible?" Mia frowned. Something wasn't right about these two rogues. Plus, if they were genuine weavers, why would the author describe them as 'rogues'?

 ** _"These must, indeed, be splendid clothes!" thought the Emperor. "Had I such a suit, I might at once find out what men in my realms are unfit for their office, and also be able to distinguish the wise from the foolish! This stuff must be woven for me immediately." And he caused large sums of money to be given to both the weavers in order that they might begin their work directly._**

The moment Mia read the sentence about the money, she became even more suspicious about the rogues. Nothing good comes out of money.

 ** _So the two pretended weavers_** ("See? Exactly!" Mia grinned. "They are disguising themselves as weavers to trick the King into giving them money, knowing this King is obsessed with clothes") ** _set up two looms, and affected to work very busily, though in reality they did nothing at all. They asked for the most delicate silk and the purest gold thread; put both into their own knapsacks; and then continued their pretended work at the empty looms until late at night._**

 ** _"I should like to know how the weavers are getting on with my cloth," said the Emperor to himself, after some little time had elapsed; he was, however, rather embarrassed, when he remembered that a simpleton, or one unfit for his office, would be unable to see the manufacture. To be sure, he thought he had nothing to risk in his own person; but yet, he would prefer sending somebody else, to bring him intelligence about the weavers, and their work, before he troubled himself in the affair. All the people throughout the city had heard of the wonderful property the cloth was to possess; and all were anxious to learn how wise, or how ignorant, their neighbors might prove to be._**

 ** _"I will send my faithful old minister to the weavers," said the Emperor at last, after some deliberation, "he will be best able to see how the cloth looks; for he is a man of sense, and no one can be more suitable for his office than be is."_**

"Never entrust your responsibility to another," Mia said in a serious voice, like a mother reprimanding her daughter.

 ** _So the faithful old minister went into the hall, where the knaves were working with all their might, at their empty looms. "What can be the meaning of this?" thought the old man, opening his eyes very wide. "I cannot discover the least bit of thread on the looms." However, he did not express his thoughts aloud._**

Mia sighed, having a feeling where this story was heading. "Don't be afraid to say something because others might think you're stupid. Speak the truth!"

 ** _The impostors requested him very courteously to be so good as to come nearer their looms; and then asked him whether the design pleased him, and whether the colors were not very beautiful; at the same time pointing to the empty frames. The poor old minister looked and looked, he could not discover anything on the looms, for a very good reason, viz: there was nothing there. "What!" thought he again. "Is it possible that I am a simpleton? I have never thought so myself; and no one must know it now if I am so. Can it be, that I am unfit for my office? No, that must not be said either. I will never confess that I could not see the stuff."_**

"Just as I thought. He's afraid to speak the truth," Mia frowned, then she widened her eyes in realization. Isn't this what most people were like nowadays? The world was filled with lies because speaking the truth may separate you from everyone else. No one wanted to be singled out; everyone wanted to blend in. So, as if wearing a mask, no one showed their true self. When they interact, they would always speak whatever that would please the other, that would keep the conversation going, that wouldn't make them seem _different_.

Realizing that, Mia began seeing the story in a new light. It seemed that this story wasn't as simple as she thought it was.

 ** _"Well, Sir Minister!" said one of the knaves, still pretending to work. "You do not say whether the stuff pleases you."_**

 ** _"Oh, it is excellent!" replied the old minister, looking at the loom through his spectacles. "This pattern, and the colors, yes, I will tell the Emperor without delay, how very beautiful I think them."_**

"Idiot," Mia muttered, shaking her head in exasperation. The story continued to show many others who were afraid to be called as a simpleton praise the invisible clothing, and finally, the King saw the clothing. Like the others, his reaction was the same, since there's no way he would want others to think that their King was a simpleton. It didn't take long for Mia to reach the ending.

 _ **So now the Emperor walked under his high canopy in the midst of the procession, through the streets of his capital; and all the people standing by, and those at the windows, cried out, "Oh! How beautiful are our Emperor's new clothes! What a magnificent train there is to the mantle; and how gracefully the scarf hangs!" in short, no one would allow that he could not see these much-admired clothes; because, in doing so, he would have declared himself either a simpleton or unfit for his office. Certainly, none of the Emperor's various suits, had ever made so great an impression, as these invisible ones.**_

 ** _"But the Emperor has nothing at all on!" said a little child._**

"Good one!" Mia exclaimed. Finally! Someone spoke the truth. In an entire country full of people, in the end it was a child who spoke the truth. Is this hinting that only through a child's innocent eyes was one able to see the truth?

 ** _"Listen to the voice of innocence!" exclaimed his father; and what the child had said was whispered from one to another._**

"Exactly! Voice of the innocence!"

 ** _"But he has nothing at all on!" at last cried out all the people. The Emperor was vexed, for he knew that the people were right; but he thought the procession must go on now! And the lords of the bedchamber took greater pains than ever, to appear holding up a train, although, in reality, there was no train to hold._**

 ** _-The End-_**

Mia released a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding, and relaxed in her seat. After a minute or two, she read the story again, and again. Slowly, she was starting to read it as a mature story, not a childish story. A mature story that teaches the readers to speak the truth, don't be afraid to be different, and don't believe everything they were told, especially if there were no evidence to back the claims up. Only believe what you have seen for yourself. Don't follow the 'experts' who may have been telling lies just so they won't be seen as stupid.

Suddenly, a memory from a long time ago appeared in Mia's mind. It was about five years ago, when she was returning home late from work. On her way home, she saw a angry crowd murmuring and pointing at something. Curiously, she made her way into the crowd, and immediately froze at the sight.

Her beloved daughter was sprawled out on the ground, crying. A small, bloody scratch was on her knees. Kneeling next to her with a dark look was the demon brat, who was slowly reaching towards her daughter...

Consumed with rage, Mia bolted forward and grabbed the boy by his collars. Without giving him any time to explain himself, she slapped him hard, causing him to fly into the air, landing hard onto the ground and rolling towards the crowd, who proceeded to kick the boy, not that Mia cared at the moment. She quickly hugged her daughter, whispering soothing words in her ears while stroking circles on her back.

"It's alright. Mama's here. Mama won't let that monster hurt you."

"No...he didn't. I bumped into him and fell..."

Mia doesn't believe her. "You don't have to blame yourself, honey. It'll be alright. Mama will make hamburger steak for you tonight, how's that?"

"Really?" Her daughter immediately forgot about clearing Naruto's name. "You're the best, mama!"

Now that she thought of it, Mia could see how blinded she had been. Because she was so angry at the moment, and due to her biased view of the boy, she immediately went on defense and believed that the boy was responsible for her daughter's injury. If she had taken her time to register the situation, she'd realize that the dark look on the boy was most likely not intended for her daughter, but for the crowd who was pointing fingers and throwing accusations at him.

Mia pulled her hair, frustrated with herself, as her eyes widened with guilt swimming in them. Why hadn't she taken time to understand the situation before accusing the boy? Why hadn't she believed her daughter? Why had she believed the crowd, not her owns eyes and ears? Her daughter had straight out told her that the boy was innocent. Why had she refused to believe her?

In fact, when had this all started? If the boy was innocent in that situation, couldn't he possibly be innocent from many other accusations that had been thrown to him? Because of everyone's biased views towards the boy, everyone believed what others said about him (secondhand information, without proofs) and no one stopped to see the truth for themselves. Who knows if people had been sprouting lies about the boy so they wouldn't be seen as 'different'? After all, the boy was seen as a monster. Siding with the boy would greatly ruin one's reputation and possibly make one's life hell. No one would want to be that person, so everyone selfishly acted the way that would please other people, that wouldn't make themselves _different_.

Now that Mia had calmed down, she realized that she had always lied to herself, refusing to side with the boy. Not wanting to be friendly to the 'culprit' of her husband's death, Mia would, whenever the boy did something, automatically view it in a bad way and think that the boy had a bad intention for doing it. Because of these lies, Mia began unknowingly hating the boy more and more. Everything the boy did was 'evil' in her eyes.

"I...I have to..." Say sorry? That's a definite. Not only that, Mia was determined to never let her biased beliefs sway her views ever again. She would interact with the boy, apologize to him, and see things for herself. She would not believe the public's words anymore; instead, she would be the one to judge whether the boy was evil or not.

Mia's gaze traveled down the page, and she noticed a name at the bottom. Immediately, everything made sense.

"No wonder," Mia chuckled. "Who else was able to come up with such a meaningful story other than you, Nakamura Tenzoi?"

* * *

 **AN:** Teeheehee, I bet none of you expected this story didn't you? You thought this fic would be full of poems and songs, right? Haha, well, I proved you wrong!

Don't judge things too quickly! Especially when I'm the author :)

As usual, reviews please!


	20. Chapter 19 Rebirthday

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto or Vocaloid. For some reason, I can't find where I originally found the lyrics for Rebirthday that were used in this chapter. If someone knows, please tell me so I can credit the original author.

* * *

 **Chapter 19 Rebirthday**

Ever since Nakamura Tenzoi's first fairy tale had been published (and according to the rumors, he had refused to accept a single ryo gained from the sale, which greatly boosted his reputation), Konoha citizens no longer acted the same. They began reflecting on their behaviors, especially their actions towards a certain blond jinchuuriki, and changing the way they converse with others. People started to speak their mind and soon, they realized that they had learned many new things when trying to come to an agreement with another person due to their opposing views on certain topics.

Almost everyone who had read the story began treating Naruto better. They then made their child read the story and also changed their child's view on him. Soon, words got into the Hokage's ears. When Sarutobi heard that the one who caused the recent change in Konoha was the mysterious Nakamura Tenzoi, he simply chuckled. This man kept on bringing him surprises, making him even more desired to find the identity of this man.

People who had never heard of the name 'Nakamura Tenzoi' found interest in him after noticing the drift of change in the society. If Nakamura Tenzoi's name was spread across Konoha after the news of the hidden message got out, then his name was firmly ingrained in the citizens' mind after his first fairy tale was published.

Naruto had not expected this, _at all_.

He merely chose this fairy tale because it's his one of his favorite stories. Growing up with only one set of clothes available to him, Naruto had been jealous of this King who had wardrobes after wardrobes of clothes. He would always feel giddy when he came across the ending, where the King was forced to walk in front of everyone naked due to his stupidity. Thus, whenever Naruto was sad or angry, he would always read this story so he could feel good about himself. Who cared if the King had more clothes than he does? At least he doesn't have to walk around _naked_!

Seeing how people were treating him better, Naruto started to like fairy tales a bit, while he normally doesn't since they were 'children's stuff'.

Shortly, 'Snow White' and 'Beauty and The Beast' were also published. So many fangirls had turned crazy after reading about marrying handsome princes and pitiful girls' becoming princesses. They also learned just exactly why they shouldn't judge a book by its cover. If a 'beast' could actually be a prince under a spell, then it's possible that plain-looking boys would become handsome men!

And so...

Ino began glancing at Shikamaru with a strange glint in her eyes as the latter shivered...

Sakura began inviting Naruto to a 'team' date, as she so called it...

Tenten began staring at Lee...then shaking her head remorsefully...

And Seito began frowning at his assistant, an awkward young man... _Like hell this clumsy idiot would become a womanizer._

...but we were getting a bit ahead into our game.

Back to the present...

* * *

Konoha was in an uproar; the reason was today's news.

Apparently, after the reveal of Higa Seito's outrageous decision yesterday, the name 'Nakamura Tenzoi' had spread all across Konoha; it also helped the Publisher earn buckets and buckets full of money. Many rival Publishers felt threatened, especially when almost every Konoha citizen had bought a copy of Konoha News and at the same time the other Publisher's sales had decreased greatly. Of course, the other Publishers in Konoha wouldn't just sit there and do nothing. And thus, they all came up with the same plan.

What could a Publisher do to make money other than publishing stories?

Increase their commissioning work of course! The more commissioning work sent to them, the higher the probability of their finding some good stories in them. And the more good stories they found, the more money they earned!

"Do you want money? Do you like actions? Join "Shinobi's House"'s adventure story writing contest and 1st place gets 1,000,000 ryou and the publication of their story!" -Local's Evening News

"Do you want to be the next Jiraiya-sensei? If so, then come join "HAEVEN"'s romance story writing contest! 1st place gets 1,000,000 ryou and the publication of their story!" -New Age's News

"Up for a challenge? "ICubed" has started a detective story writing contest! 1st place gets 1,000,000 ryou and the publication of their story!" -Morning News

...

...

The newspaper was filled with zeroes, blinding the readers. Even people who don't love literature was interested and had decided to join for a chance to earn money.

"I think we should join, Sasuke!" Naruto suggested excitedly while he was listing an order of the names of poems they would publish. "This can help us become even more popular! If we had won them all, people won't stop talking about us, and soon we'll gain millions of fans!"

"Exactly. That's why we shouldn't join them all."

"What!?"

"Look," Sasuke explained. "We would become famous if we won them all, true, but at the same time, people will become suspicious. Joining ALL of them and winning ALL?! People will think there may be something shady going on. So instead of us becoming famous, we will become _infamous_."

"But joining one wouldn't hurt right?" Naruto said, exclaiming when Sasuke agreed. "Alrighty! Let's see...so what genre should we choose...?"

"I suggest detective. It's the genre that's the easiest to grab the audience's attention. All we have to do is come up with a case and solution that is unexpected yet interesting. And the readers' discussion will help advertise our story."

"True. Neither a sappy love story nor dozens of fighting scenes can capture the public's attention as well as a good, unexpected case." Naruto nodded. "So what story should we use? _Another_ is a good detective novel, making the readers guess who the 'Dead One' is. The discussion would run wild with all the theories and guesses readers would come up!"

"But it's more of a mystery mixed with horror than a detective... We need our story to be appropriate for all ages so we don't limit the readers."

" _Death Note_?"

"Again, not appropriate for children. Besides, there's no case for the readers to solve. They already know that Kira is Light."

"Then..."

"Why not this...!" Sasuke smirked and moved aside, letting Naruto view his monitor screen. It was the story he had been typing for the past few days. "I have confidence in this detective story. This will definitely gain us the number one seat in this contest without doubt."

For some reasons, Naruto flinched and his lips twitched when he saw the title.

"So you were preparing for these contests all along!" Naruto groaned. "Damn you Sasuke! You're always one step ahead of me!"

"Cuz I'm a genius."

"No you're not."

"Yes I am."

"No you're not."

"...are we really doing this again?"

"...you started it!"

* * *

In a different section of the village, a blond-haired girl was sitting in front of the table, eating her breakfast. Laying aside on the table was the Konoha News turned to the Literature section. Her parents were sitting next to her, also staring at the poem. Apparently, Ino had been able to convert her parents into Nakamura Tenzoi fans.

"Rebirthday, does that mean Len will come back to life?" Ino said excitedly, bouncing in her seat.

 _When I awoke in the dark_  
 _I found I was alone_  
 _Inside a room painted black;_  
 _Nothing else_

"Is that what it's like after you died?" Ino wondered.

"Something like that," Inoichi grumbled.

 _Vision was blurring_  
 _As was my hearing_  
 _And there I just sat_  
 _Shivering within the cold_

"Poor boy," Ino's mother took out a handkerchief, knowing she'd cry easily.

 _Up in the ceiling was_  
 _A very large hole_  
 _And when I looked closely_  
 _I found it was a spring_

 _From up there_  
 _A sudden echo_  
 _An unknown voice;_  
 _Sending me into a nightmarish reality_

 _"My oh my,_  
 _You sinful boy._  
 _From now on you shall_  
 _Stay trapped within this room._

 _And no one will be here_  
 _To answer your begging pleas."_

…

 _At that very moment_  
 _My memories came flooding back_  
 _A sudden wave of understand_  
 _Took over my body_

 _I understood why I was here_  
 _The sins I committed in her place_  
 _And that I'll never return_  
 _To those once blissful days_

 _Now, upon my wrists_  
 _Are heavy red chains_  
 _Surely this is the making_  
 _Of the blood that was spilled_

"This is referring to the red mercenary right?"

 _And now, upon my ankles_  
 _Are painfully tight blue chains_  
 _Surely this is the making_  
 _Of the tears that were spilled_

"And that's to the blue boy."

 _Lu Li La,_  
 _Lu Li La,_  
 _I hear someone sing_  
 _And it comforts me_

 _I wonder who_  
 _Is singing me_  
 _Such a lovely song…_

"Is that Rin's voice?"

 _The prisoner, am I_  
 _And I begin to ponder_  
 _Exactly how long_  
 _I have been locked away in here_

 _The only reply that_  
 _I receive from the spring_  
 _Is that calming lullaby_  
 _That stranger sings to me_

"It's Rin! It's not a stranger!"

"Ino...be quiet."

"Sorry, daddy."

 _But one day, suddenly_  
 _Understanding fills my body_  
 _The truth behind the words_  
 _Of the mystery song_

 _And so I decide_  
 _To give a reply_  
 _By adding my own_  
 _Words to the simple song_

 _From a crevice_  
 _Within the spring_  
 _A very small light_  
 _Came floating to me_

 _This must be…_  
 _No, it has to be…_  
 _The message of regret_  
 _You sent to me_

"You know, it'd be really interesting if Rin is singing 'Regret Message' to Len, and Len is singing 'Rebirthday' back."

"Ino..."

"...Sorry."

 _The spring begins_  
 _To rotate_  
 _And quietly_  
 _Begins to speak_

 _"Your sins_  
 _Can never be_  
 _Forgiven in this life."_  
 _But…_

 _Words of Water and_  
 _And the Words of Evil_  
 _We shall change those_  
 _Words into meaningful songs_

 _The red chain disappears_  
 _And then begins to speak to me,_  
 _"You will soon be reborn,_  
 _Into another place, another time."_

"The red mercenary had forgiven Len!"

 _The blue chain disappears_  
 _And then begins to speak to me,_  
 _"Today is your new Birthday_  
 _For the rest of eternity!"_

"The blue boy had forgiven Len!"

 _And then my vision_  
 _Completely leaves me_  
 _And everything goes white…_

 _I will be_  
 _Seeing you soon,_  
 _My dear sister…_

 _-Evil series (Pride) The End-_

When the last words entered Ino's mind, she only had one thing to say.

"Mom! Dad!" She began, "I want a brother!"

* * *

 **AN:** _Another_ and _Death Note_ are both very good mystery animes. Definitely worth the time to watch. If you haven't watched it yet, I recommend you to do so when you have time. _Another_ is bloodier and more gruesome than _Death Note_ though.

Sorry, this chapter isn't as well-written as it should be... I might come back and work on it in the future.

Try guessing what detective story Naruto and Sasuke are planning to write. I've left a not-so-subtle hint in this chapter... ︿(￣︶￣)︿

As usual, reviews please...though I know I don't deserve any for such a crappy chapter...


	21. Chapter 20 Letters

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto.

Enjoy~

* * *

 **Chapter 20 Letters**

Ever since 'Daughter of Evil' had been published, Konoha Publisher had received dozens of fan mails every following day. Boxes after boxes of fan mails crowded the office. Without knowing the identity of Nakamura Tenzoi, Higa Seito couldn't rid these mails by sending them to the man. So he could only keep them, waiting for the day the hidden messages were published so he could find out the man's identity and dump these mails onto him.

When Seito arrived at the office today, he, as usual, was expecting another mountain of mails decorating his floor (especially since today was the day the Evil series ended). But when he opened the door, instead of stepping onto an envelope, he was met with an absolutely spotless floor.

"Jun! Did you throw away the mails!?" Seito opened the door and yelled to his assistant, Jun, a clumsy-looking young man.

"No..." Jun flinched slightly at the accusing tone. "They were gone when I arrived."

"Strange..." Seito pulled his head back in and shut the door. Jun was always the first to arrive. If he hadn't seen the mails, then what could've happened to them? Seito decided to file away the strangeness of the disappearance for now.

* * *

-Nakamura Tenzoi's Residence aka Uchiha compound-

On the floor of the tatami, one side was a mountain of unopened fan mails, on the other side were opened envelopes and thrown-away letters.

"Why do we have to look through all of these?" One of the Naruto clones groaned, "why can't the boss do it?"

"This is what clones are for," one of the Sasuke clones replied.

"Why do we even _need_ to read these?" Another Naruto clone complained. "It's not like we can get anything out of reading letters."

"These letters are filled with the fans' passion towards our work. They spent time and effort writing these, wanting us to know of their thoughts about our work. So in return, it's proper etiquette to read every single one and write back to them," the same Sasuke clone explained. "Respect the fans, and they'll respect you. A celebrity who doesn't respect his fans is a failure and doesn't deserve the fans' respects."

"That's a very wise thinking coming from you," the Naruto clone said, surprised.

"Well, I've seen many celebrities fall to their doom because they don't respect their fans. So, as time past, their fans lost their passion for the celebrities, and thus, the bond between them broke, and a celebrity without fans can't be called a celebrity at all. I, personally, don't want to experience through that," the Sasuke clone suddenly shuddered. "Fans can be scary when they wanted to be, you know."

All the other Sasuke clones shuddered in sync. The Naruto clone smirked.

"Oh yes, of course you would know."

Silence slowly drawn upon them as they went back to their task on hand. Until a Naruto clone chuckled as he read a fan letter.

"What's so funny?"

"Let me see it!"

All the other clones gathered around him and peaked at the page. It was a letter from Sakura.

 _Dear Nakamura Tenzoi,_

 _My name is Haruno Sakura, and I'm a twelve years old genin. I want to thank you for giving the Evil series a happy ending. Though I don't like Rin when I first read about her, when I read about her regretting her actions and desperately wanting Len back in 'Regret Message', I began changing my views of her and liking her a bit. She and Len truly deserve to be together after all the hell they've been through. I feel happy for them._

 _I also want to thank you for writing the Evil series. Ever since I began reading your poem, I realized how dull my life had been. I was always a fangirl of Uchiha Sasuke (I'm sure you know who he is, since he's pretty popular. And on a side note, he's also my teammate, along with Uzumaki Naruto). I had given up my friendship with my first friend, Yamanaka Ino, for Sasuke. My life until then had revolved around him. My original reason for becoming a ninja (to protect my family) had been forgotten and subconsciously turned into to get closer to Sasuke._

 _But your poems made me realize that the 'love' I had been feeling was nothing in comparison to Len's love towards Rin. He loves Rin, so no matter how awful her personality was, he would do anything she requested, as far as to kill his crush, and would even die for her. I realized that my 'love' towards Sasuke was nothing more than a school girl crush. What do I like about him? When I calmed down and truly thought about this, I realized that the only thing I liked was his look, and perhaps him being the rookie of the year. I don't want to spend my life liking a boy who doesn't even like me back._

 _After I realized all this, I had successfully became friend with Ino once again (and even made her like your poems!). My life became 'full', in a sense. I'm not sure how to describe this feeling, but it was as if light had shone through my darkness. Your poems made me see this world in a new light._

 _Thank you, Nakamura Tenzoi, for your poems, and for changing my life._

 _-Haruno Sakura_

 _PS: What does the "Pride" that you'd put at the end of 'Rebirthday' mean?_

"If I'd known Sakura would stop fangirling over me _this_ easily, I would've done this a long time ago," a Sasuke clone grunted.

"But she's now fangirling over Nakamura Tenzoi," a Naruto clone grinned, "and that's also you."

All the Sasuke clones groaned in sync.

"Anyway, continue our work," the Sasuke clone picked up Sakura's letter and took out a blank sheet of paper. "I'll do the reply."

* * *

When Sakura returned home after her first mission as a genin, she nearly died of shock when she saw an envelope sitting on her desk, with the name of her favorite poet written on it. She dived into her room and took out an envelope cutter, carefully cutting the paper open. Tearing out the paper, Sakura began reading it with excitement.

 _Dear Haruno Sakura,_

 _Thank you for writing to me. I'm glad that my poems can create such a positive change in your life. I love hearing from my lovely readers, so feel free to write to me about anything anytime._

 _It's good that now you aren't letting Uchiha Sasuke blind your eyes, but, you know, liking someone who doesn't like you back isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's using the wrong method to express your love that's the bad thing. Other than love at first sight, no one falls in love with another person immediately. Love requires time and patience. If you truly like a someone, you should try your hardest to make him like you back. Fangirling over your crush will not help you win his heart; instead, you should try to understand him, truly understand him. Know his dream and support him. Stand by him. Let him know that he can depend on you._

 _In my opinion, Uchiha Sasuke is most likely a very independent and ambitious boy. Knowing his past, I reckon he wouldn't like a girl who only squeals and asks him out on dates; instead, he would like a girl who wouldn't hold him back, can give him her support, and help him achieve his dream. If his wish came true because of your help, don't you think it's reasonable that he would fall for you?_

 _Therefore, if you like someone, I encourage you to try winning his heart. It's alright to spend time and effort on chasing after a boy, but make sure that your actions are also beneficial for yourself._

 _Lastly, "Pride" is a theme of the Evil series. I will also be writing six more poems like this in which each deals with a different theme. I'll give you a little hint: my next poem will be based on "Sloth."_

 _Again, feel free to write to me about anything anytime. I love interacting with my lovely readers ~❤_

 _-Nakamura Tenzoi_

 _PS: Here's a little magic trick: to send a letter directly to me (instead of to the Publisher), simply hold the letter at your eye level and say "I want to send this letter to Nakamura Tenzoi."_

* * *

 **AN:** Nakamura Tenzoi's letter took me a long time to write. I tried to make it sound mature and not too pushy at the same time.

Please leave a review if you like this!


	22. Chapter 21 Getting ready

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

 **Chapter 21 Getting ready...**

Within a day, the entire Konoha had heard about Nakamura Tenzoi's magic trick. Seito was glad that now there would be no more fan mails taking up his office's space, but some people weren't so glad...

"Report," an ANBU wearing a fox mask said to Sarutobi. "No information had been found about Nakamura Tenzoi himself. But he seemed to have developed a jutsu that allows people to teleport items directly to him."

"A space jutsu?" Sarutobi wondered.

"Perhaps. According to the rumors, you must hold the item to your eye level, then say 'I want to send [item name] to Nakamura Tenzoi'. Then, the item would disappear in a silver flash."

"Hm...," Sarutobi blew on his pipe, his brows furrowed into a frown. "This man is just getting more and more interesting. He continues to develop incredibly useful jutsus that can benefit Konoha very much if it's put to good use. Continue to keep an eye on any news related to this man."

"Yes sir," ANBU Fox hesitated, then said, "do you think the 'hidden messages' are worth looking into?"

Sarutobi thought for a while, then replied, "no...I believe it's just Seito's way of increasing their newspaper's sales, and apparently, it had worked. It's nothing to fret about."

* * *

The next few days seemed to past by very quickly for Naruto and Sasuke. They would wake up, go on a D-ranked mission, return in the afternoon and send a poem to Konoha Publisher to be published the next day, then practice singing and playing their instruments. So far, with the help of the Fairyland Queen's magic gem, their singing skills had greatly increased. If before using the gem, they could only sing up to three octaves, then after using the gem, they could sing up to five octaves. Their vocal control was much better too, for they could easily and quickly switch between high and low pitch without singing off tune or cracking their voice.

All that's left was to make sure that they could sing and play the instruments (with the gem's help) simultaneously without making mistakes. Everything else had been prepared a week ago. They already had in mind what song they would sing and _when_ they would perform their first song. Now they were just waiting for the day to come, and for their popularity to reach the climax.

One thing they were worried about was the consequences of entering _that_ detective novel into the contest. Sure, they had absolute confidence that _that_ novel could win them first place without doubt, but they couldn't promise the readers to response positively to the story. After all...they themselves had almost ripped the book in rage when they first read it during that loop where they woke up on the other side of the fourth wall.

"Are you sure this will turn out alright?" Naruto asked tentatively. "What if our fans start hating us after we published this novel? Especially since the novel will be published before our first concert. We can't hold a concert with no fans backing us up!"

Sasuke, who was memorizing lyrics, paused for a second before replying, "I hope it will work. If not, we'll have to rely on our first song to gain back these lost fans. And seeing the song we have chosen, I'm pretty sure they will have a change of heart after listening to it."

"I hope your plan was shatterproof."

"It _is_."

* * *

On the table were all the poems Nakamura Tenzoi had ever written, with the Evil series separated from the others. A set of keen eyes scrutinized the lines like a hawk watching its prey. Nine poems had already been published; yet, Shikamaru still hadn't found any lead on the hidden messages. He was beginning to doubt whether there were hidden messages in the first place. He had heard the messages from Sakura, who had no reason to lie to him about it, so there _must_ be hidden messages.

Where were they? Was he missing something? Was he not thinking in the correct direction?

Suddenly, his eyes caught onto something.

 _"Ahhh...it's time for you to go to sleep."_ This was the first line of the 5th poem, "Gift From The Princess Who Brought Sleep," a poem about the sin Sloth.

 _"Now, shall we dance?"_ The first line of the 6th poem, "The Lunacy of Duke Venomania"; the sin was Lust.

 _"I will eat them all."_ 7th poem, "Evil Food Eater Conchita"; the sin was Gluttony.

 _"Now, let the trial begin."_ 8th poem, "Judgment of Corruption"; the sin was Greed.

 _"Sinful man... Repent now!"_ 9th poem, "Muzzle of Nemesis"; the sin was Wrath.

All of these five poems started with a quote, while the Evil series doesn't, except "Regret Message", which started with Rin's saying, _"Is this really worth your time? This can't possibly make your wish come true."_ Was the quotes a clue? If so, shouldn't all the poems start with a quote? Why was "Regret Message" the exception in the Evil series?

" _Now_..." Shikamaru muttered. The 6th and 8th both started with the word _"Now"_ , and the last words of the 7th and 9th poem, _"all"_ and _"now"_ , rhymes. Could this also be a clue of some sorts?

He snorted; maybe he's thinking too far into this. Let's go back to the beginning. Shikamaru eyed the arrangement of the sins. Pride, Sloth, Lust, Gluttony, Greed, then Wrath. The only one left was Envy, which the poem of should be posted tomorrow.

Sighing, Shikamaru leaned back and thought, _I'll need to wait for more poems to be posted before I can deduce anything. Or at least until all the sins have appeared._

* * *

 **AN:** I'm sooooo sorry for this awful chapter! I just couldn't write Shikamaru or him making deductions TAT!

I promise next chapter will be better! Also, the mystery novel will be revealed in the next chapter! Now is your last chance to guess what it is :P (Hint: It's not Detective Conan or the Sherlock Holmes series)

 _Reply to Guest review:_

 _ **cheerydanda:** There likely won't be any pairings. This story was written for humor and friendship only._

 _Reply to user who disabled PM:_

 _ **N Harmonic:** Yes, they are all lyrics to songs. I didn't write them; they are translated by other people (links provided in my profile). For some of the future songs, I might translate them myself._


	23. Chapter 22 A clue!

**Disclaimer:** Naruto is not mine never mine. The song lyrics used in this chapter was from the Vocaloid song "Melt."

* * *

 **Chapter 22 A clue!**

"Ring ring"

The person in bed groaned as the sharp jingling noise pierced through the thick quilt and into his ear. Facing down, he slid down the bed and picked up his pillow, then slid back up and smothered his head with it. It was no use; the sound penetrated through the soft materials easily as if the pillow was made of air. Finally, after twenty seconds of torture, he pulled up a slim hand and slammed it onto the alarm clock. Silence engulfed the room until a rustle was heard as the figure underneath the quilt shifted slightly, causing it to slide down, revealing a head of shoulder-length black hair. Half-lidded brown eyes peaked out from long bangs and blinked a few times as the owner tried to get used to the morning brightness. Closing his eyes with a lengthy sigh, Shikamaru propped himself up with his elbows as he murmured, "Alright, I'm up."

It was thirty minutes later when he managed to brush his teeth and tie up his hair neatly without dozing off in a standing position, being the lazy Nara he was. When he made his way downstairs, his mother was already up and cooking, while his father was reading the newspaper while having seated at the breakfast table, yawning all the while.

"Morning," Shikamaru mumbled, receiving a weary nod from Shikaku.

"Morning, dear," Yoshino replied cheerily as she flipped a grilled salmon onto a rectangular plate. "Breakfast's almost ready. Go pour yourself a cup of milk."

Knowing better than to defy his mother's orders, Shikamaru groggily did as he was told and sat down in front of Shikaku. He scanned his eyes across the scattered pages until he found the one read "Literature." Under the curious gaze of Shikaku, he picked it up and began reading the newest poem from Nakamura Tenzoi. The title was "Melt."

 _Early in the morning I woke up,_  
 _And immediately I started to think of you._  
 _I decided to cut my bangs,_  
 _Just to hear you say, "What happened?"_

 _A pink skirt, and a flower barette_  
 _And it's time to go_  
 _I'm looking super cute today!_

 _Melt - I'm about to melt_  
 _I can't tell you that I like you... but..._  
 _Melt - I can't let our eyes meet_  
 _I'm not into love and all that_  
 _But I do... like you_

 _The weather report lied_  
 _It's pouring down_  
 _My umbrella still folded in my bag won't do_  
 _So I gave a sigh_

At this point, Shikamaru paused abruptly and went back up to reread the title.

"Melt," he mumbled. "How could it be?" Then he noted that the first sentence of this poem was, in fact, not a dialogue."Why? This doesn't make sense."

Ignoring his father's questioning eyes, Shikamaru bolted upstairs to his room and took out all the poems published so far. According to his deduction, the arrangement of the sins and the first sentence being a dialogue should be a clue to the hidden messages. But the first sentence of today's poem, "Melt," which obviously wasn't about the sin Envy, was not a dialogue. Was the sins not supposed to be a clue? If they were, shouldn't today's poem be about Envy, and not a random girl falling in love? Was he wrong in thinking that the dialogues were meaningful? Why was "Melt" the only poem that doesn't start with a dialogue, and why was "Regret Message" the only poem in the Evil series that does?

The sound of heavy footsteps approaching his room brought him back to the present. Shikamaru turned, expecting to see a frowning Yoshino telling him to "get [his] ass down and eat [his] breakfast", but instead he saw Shikaku staring at him curiously.

"So what got you all worked up, son?" Shikaku said with a lazy grin as he trod closer to his son.

"Nothing important."

"Want any help?"

Shikamaru huffed and stepped aside. He hated it when his father acted all-knowingly. It made him feel naked in front of Shikaku.

Shikaku took one look at the poems and let out a whistle. "So you're trying to figure out the hidden messages huh? Do you actually believe there's such a thing?"

"Sakura made a deal with me. If I help her find the hidden messages, she would get Ino off my back," Shikamaru tried to defend himself. "But now I'm beginning to think that this hidden message thing may be just a prank. Why else would Seito spend 1 million ryou on finding these things? It's abnormal even for someone like him."

"And what makes you believe that?"

"All my deductions seem to be wrong. Because all the poems posted until yesterday were about certain sins, I thought the sins and perhaps the arrangement of them was a clue. But then today's poem turned out to be about a troublesome girl in love. If my deductions are correct, then today's poem should be about the missing sin, Envy. And one other thing. All the poems so far begin with a dialogue, while the only poem in Evil series that does so is "Regret Message." I thought maybe each sin is supposed to have one poem that begins with a dialogue, and perhaps this is a clue of a sort. But today's poem didn't start with a dialogue, as you can see clearly," Shikamaru thrust "Melt" in front of Shikaku's face as he finished his rant, frustrated.

Shikaku glanced at the poem, pushing it aside and quickly reading the other poems, then he chuckled.

"What?"

"Did you ever think that maybe some poems _need_ a dialogue while other don't?"

"What do you mean?"

Instead of telling him the answer directly, Shikaku placed the poem down and said, "Think of it this way. Why are the dialogues placed in the _beginning_? What role do they play by being the _first_ sentences? What would happen if the dialogues aren't placed in the beginning, but, say, in the middle, or in the end?" Turning around swiftly, Shikaku exited the room, leaving his son to his own musings.

Shikamaru stood in the middle of the room as he slowly digested the hints his father had given him. Dialogues... first sentences... beginning... _first_. In a flash, he was by the desk, running his piercing gaze across the poems. A smirk slowly crawled up his face as his eyes glinted like that of a hungry wolf seeing a trapped rabbit.

He had found it.

A possible beginning of the hidden messages.

* * *

 **AN:** Sorry for not updating for...2 weeks? I wasn't sure how I should begin this chapter so I took a small break. And I apologize for not showing the novel in this chapter. That last sentence just seemed to be a perfect place to stop, so...

Also, I will probably not be able to update a chapter per week starting now because I'm going to be busy. I've talked to a Marine recruiter and have decided to join the US Marine Corps (yes, laugh, I know you want to). I took the ASVAB test and got a 77, which qualifies me for all the jobs listed and to join the Marines. Last week I went to MEPS (Military Entrance Processing Station) and took the physical and medical examination and passed with flying colors. Now I'm a Marine poolee who is ready to join the DEP (Delayed Entry Program), which helps me get fit and ready for boot camp. The Marine counselor at MEPS told me I will be going to boot camp next year in June, but my recruiter said it might be impossible because the spots are full. But either way, I'm on my way to being a US Marine!


	24. Chapter 23 A New Friend

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto.

 **AN:** Here is a long chapter as an apology for me being lazy and not updating for so long. Longest one so far! 4582 words!

Also, I edited the assistant's name in "Ch20 Letters" after realizing his name crashed with the new character's name...

 **Warning:** some bad language (grins)

* * *

 **Chapter 23 A New Friend**

"Stupid boss, slaving us poor clones to do his stupid work," grumbled Naru as he scuffed on the sandy track, kicking small pebbles as he went.

For a clone, everyday's routine was practically the same: wake up, or rather, come into existence, read and reply the fan letters, then one clone would have to deliver a children's story to Playhouse. Today unfortunately was this clone's turn. The job wasn't tedious, but the fact that he couldn't stay indoor and laze around irked him.

Naru let out another string of grievance but was cut short as a familiar scent halted him in his track. The aroma was absolutely divine. The pungent soup base mixed with the aromatic smell of freshly cooked meat filled up his nostrils. His body shivered with excitement as his olfactory senses immediately identified the smell as his favorite food, ramen, the only food in the entire multiverse that he'd prefer over his second favorite, cup of noodle. It had been a long time since he tasted anything ramen-like. The last time was when he had a cup of noodle competition with Kohina and emptied her stock, and that was 16 loops ago **(1)**.

The pedestrians walking after him grumbled in annoyance as they skirted around him. The street was filled with merchants on their way home after a tiresome day. The sun was setting and the shop owners were closing their shops. Naru wasn't worried though, because he knew that Ichiraku Ramen opened till late at night.

With anticipation bubbling inside his chest, the clone darted his way through the throng easily, leaving a faint silhouette behind for the stunned passersby to goggle at. He mentally thanked Hiruma for making, aka forcing and blackmailing, Naruto do the agility ladder exercise. The ability to change directions quickly without losing momentum during a sprint was one of the only practical skill he learned from being on Devil Bats **(2)**.

"Woah!"

The scene he was seeing shifted and a second later, Naru found the sandy ground inches away from his eyes. He promptly extended his arms and planted his hands onto the ground. Kicking his legs up and swinging it down, he pulled himself into a crouching position.

"What just happened?" He found the answer rolling a few feet away from him. It was a bouncy ball about the size of a volleyball. The clone picked it up with one hand and threw it into the air. Mud and broken pieces of grass separated themselves from it before it landed on his other hand.

He squeezed it.

It was soft, but not at a tomato's level where it could burst in one squeeze. It was more like a...

A ghost sting on his cheek pulled him out of his reverie. He'd rather not delve into his dark past...at least not yet. Now wasn't the time to regain his gynophobia.

Naru focused his attention back onto the item in hand. There was a brand imprinted on the ball, which he could barely see due to it's being hidden under the dried mud. It was the brand of Konoha's biggest toy shop, where most children bought their toys at. Next to the brand was a barely visible word written in a childish messy scrawl. Squinting his eyes, the clone could barely make out the name 'Aki' (autumn).

"Hold him down!"

A yell came from a nearby playground. A group of boys were huddling together.

Through the gaps in between the useless fats, Naru saw a bruised up child been held in a headlock by his more tough-looking tormentor. His wobbly legs seemed ready to give out under him if not for the muscular arm encircling his scrawny neck, which looked as if it could be snapped in half with only two fingers.

The group of boys looked to be about 9 or 10 years old. But physically speaking, the red-haired child looked much younger. His limbs were like branches while the bullies' were like trunks. Through his stained, torn t-shirt, which looked way too small for his size, one could see his rib cage protruding his skin.

The disturbing and heart-wrenching sight made something inside the clone snap. Old memories resurfaced in his mind. A scrawny boy hanging desperately onto a tree branch as if his life depended on it, while a large, raging dog barked at him from below. The owners of the dog watched the scene from aside with extreme interest and satisfaction. A high school girl locking herself in a restroom stall and eating her already-cold bento slowly, her eyes empty and lifeless. A young girl wearing nothing but a thin dress locking herself in a dark shed in the middle of Winter, in an attempt to escape her abusive mother...

Naruto's experiences in different worlds, encountering different people, had shown him not only the light side, but also the dark side of humanity. He had learned how evil, mean, and indifferent children could be, how they could spit a lie without batting an eyelid at the dire outcomes. He had seen too many innocent children who ended their own life because of the bullying and abuse they received from school, classmates, or even their family.

And he was tired of it.

* * *

 **(POV change)**

It hurt. Everywhere hurt.

He curled into a ball, trying to defend himself from the punches and kicks that rained upon him.

"Hold him down!"

A rough hand grabbed his arm and pulled him up, another went around his neck, almost choking him. He was actually thankful of that, because without the arm, his weak legs would gave out under his weight already. Cracking open an eye, he stared at his classmates expressionlessly. He knew that glaring, crying, and/or attacking them would only give them even more satisfaction than they already had. He would never be able to take on even one of these fat pigs, let alone all of them at once.

"So how're you doing these days, A~~ki?"

He stayed silent.

"You know, I've always wondered," the fattest pig started as he folded his hands behind his back, walking circles around him in a failed attempt to look cool. "Between you and that blond demon boy...who's more evil?"

Demon boy? He had heard of him. The village pariah, the one whom every adult hated for some reason. He didn't know him personally, but he had seen the blond running around Konoha pulling pranks here and there. How some trivial pranks had earned him the title 'demon' was still a mystery to him.

"Everyone hated him! My mother said he had killed my father twenty years ago!" The pig's face twisted into a look of horror as he paused in his steps dramatically. The footsteps he left behind created a circle in the dirt. "And here comes you. Even your parents named you 'Akki' (demon). How evil can you possibly be?!"

'Akki'. He hated that name. His stupid parents decided to name him when they were drunk. And somehow their misspelled 'Aki' (autumn) and gave it one extra 'k.' Afterwards, they thought it was funny and decided to leave it as that. He hated that name. He hated his oblivious parents even more!

Akki dropped his gaze onto the ground. The shadows of the pigs constructed a giant shadow octopus, he mused, in an attempt to divert his attention from the current situation.

"I truly pity your family. I can't even imagine having to live with a demon, having to sleep under the same roof as a demon, knowing said demon can sneak up to me and kill me in my sleep!"

The shadow octopus seemed to be growing larger... Its head looked as if it was swelling like a balloon. Slowly, its body too began enlarging itself, in both width and length...

The arm strangling him suddenly fell limp. Without the support, Akki's leg gave away and he fell onto the ground with a soft thud.

 _What's going on?_

"A...ah...aHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

The pigs suddenly howled as if someone had just stepped on their tail, if that was physically possible. The shadow octopus quickly disbanded, leaving one lone shadow standing next to Akki's shorter one.

He turned to look at the source of the scare.

It wasn't a demon.

It was just a boy who looked not much older than he was. A boy with blond hair, three whisker marks on each cheeks, and a wide, shit-eating grin.

* * *

 **(POV change)**

Naru didn't want to seriously injure the bullies; that would cause Naruto a lot of trouble from their parents. He only wanted to give them a little scare.

It only took him a few seconds to find the perfect method.

When Naruto and Sasuke inherited magical blood in the Harry Potter universe, they discovered two key aspects about it. One was that even after they triggered another loop, the magic would still remain in their body **(3)**. It's as if their magical abilities had been bonded to their soul and no matter which universe they were transported to, they still had the ability to perform wizardry. The other was that magic was the same in all magical universes. For example, they could learn the unique forms of magic in the Fairy Tail universe by using the magic that'd been bonded to them in the HP universe.

Gathering the magic in his body, Naru prepared himself for the transformation. This ability was one of his favorite because it could be used as both a powerful offensive move and a playful prank. _Perhaps that's why Master Makarov learned this ability in the first place_ , Naru thought, _so he could use it to pull a prank on his fellow guild members_ **(4)**!

The change was immediate. As magical energy boiled throughout his body, it began enlarging itself. Naru watched with enjoyment as the bullies drop their jaws in both fear and disbelief. Staring up at the now over 10 feet tall jinchuuriki, the bullies let out a loud howl and ran away to the other end of the playground as the clone was blocking one of its exits. He immediately canceled the technique when they were out of sight; he didn't want the passersby to see him and ruin his already-pretty-low reputation.

The boy seemed stunned at the sight of his tormentors scurrying away with tails between their legs. He turned around slowly, his frightened expression disappearing when he saw the clone's harmless grin.

"Hello," the clone began. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto. What's your name?" Before the boy could answer, he held up a hand and said, "Hold up! Let me guess!"

He began pinching his nose and furrowing his brows. The boy watched him with narrowed eyes.

"Ah I know!" He snapped his fingers, "It's Aki isn't it?"

Aki widened his eyes in response.

"You want to know why I know it? It's because I know magic!" Aki's lips curled into a sneer. Naru pouted. "You don't believe me? Here, let me show you a trick."

He raised his hands, palms opened, indicating that his hands were empty. Then, he clasped his hands and began rubbing them together.

"Watch carefully."

Slowly, his hands began glowing in a bright, white gleam. When he separated them, in between his glowing hands was a shining white ball. It was revealed to be Aki's dirty bouncy ball when the glow faded **(5)**.

"How's that?" The clone smirked proudly as he handed the ball to the stupefied boy. "Pretty cool, huh?"

Aki remained on the ground and stared down at his treasured ball in his hands. After a long awkward silence which made the bored clone pull two beer bottles, three coconuts, and a can of root beer out of seemingly nowhere and juggle them with ease, Aki finally looked up and spoke, "W-why did you save me?"

"Because you looked like you needed some help." The words escaped his mouth before his brain could come up with an answer. Aki stared at him in disbelief before settling his gaze onto the ground.

An awkward moment passed. Naru scratched his cheeks, W _hat should I do? W_ _hat should I do? W_ _hat should I do? Dammit I'm not good at these things!_

The decision was made for him when he saw the bruises on the redhead's body. Naru knelt down and raised his hands quickly when the redhead was startled by the action. "I'm not going to hurt you. Let me take a look at your injuries. I know some healing techniques."

Aki looked undecided, but perhaps because Naru didn't seem like a threat, he uncrossed his arms and allowed the blond to gently lay him flat onto the ground. His lips were pursed as his gaze tracked Naru's every move. He watched as the blond waved a hand across the empty air above his body. Whatever Naru had done had no visible effect on his body, but the content look on his face showed that he had obtained whatever he was seeking through the wave **(6)**.

"...So?" The redhead questioned when the blond's expressions darkened.

"How many times have this," Naru's voice was low as he gestured to Aki's battered body, "happened?"

The massive killer intent that was spilling out of the trembling blond was making Aki difficult to breath. He suddenly remembered the shadow octopus from before and how his tormentors were scared shitless of this seemingly harmless blond. Fear overtook his body again, making him scramble away from the raging clone.

Soft whimpering reminded Naru of the current circumstances. He openly face-palmed when he saw the boy who he was supposed to comfort looking terrified of _him_ , the comforter.

"Sorry...I just... _abhor_ seeing people being tormented for something they had no control of."

Seeing the genuine emotions swimming in those cerulean orbs, Aki felt his chest tighten, the difficulty to breath returned, but for a different reason this time.

"Malnutrition, broken ribs, sprained ankle, swellings... Hell, how could you just allow them to do these to you? Why don't you fight back!?" The blond continued to rant as he placed his hands above the injuries, a yellow glow enveloping the areas **(7)**.

A faint smile crawled onto Aki's face. He closed his eyes, reveling in the warmth that's relieving him of his pain.

"...you're only nine...ten? Yet you're nearly bones and skins! Do your parents even feed you? How come no one noticed? Well, obviously those brats noticed. What's the fun of beating up someone thirty pounds lighter than you? Not to mention..."

The frustrated blond's voice brought a chuckle out of the younger boy, which immediately turned into a full-blown laughter.

"What?" Naru scowled, a little miffed to be cut off from his tirade.

"This type of thing has been happening to me since I was a child," Aki ignored the blond's muttering 'You're still a child' and continued. "Nobody _ever_ stepped in. To everyone, I'm just an unfortunate child among the hundreds of children in Konoha. In a ninja village, personal gains are always placed first above all other reasons. Why would others help me if they can get nothing out of it? And yet, you saved me. You, the 'demon' in other's eyes, are the first one to lend me a hand. Isn't that ironic?"

"You're not afraid of my 'reputation'?"

"Well, considering my _birth_ name is 'A-kki' (demon)," Aki paused in between his name deliberately to show the double 'k', "and you're only _nicknamed_ the 'demon boy', I am the one whom people should be more terrified of. And besides, you have done nothing even _close_ to what a real demon is capable of. Thus, I have no reason to be afraid of you."

Naru was stunned at the amount of maturity the young boy was displaying. This hadn't been the first time someone wasn't afraid of him despite his 'reputation' (e.g. Teuchi and Ayame), but this amount of understanding coming from a child? This was definitely a rare occurrence.

Naru decided right there and then that this boy deserved his respect.

They spent the rest of the afternoon talking. The more time they spent with each others, the more Aki opened up to Naru. Naru discovered the origin of his (badass, in his opinion) name, his family life, what civilian school was like, which led to his main problems: bullies.

"Sometimes I even wanted to kill myself to rid myself of the suffering. Every time I go to sleep, I hope I would never wake up so I don't have to face my dreaded life. My parents are both busy with their shop so they're almost never home. They probably know about my situation, but they never consulted me about it. School teachers are useless too. They only teach so they get their pay. What happens outside of teaching is not of their responsibility. I thought the world would be better off without me... In fact, I had been gathering up the courage to do this," Aki took out a rusted kunai from his pocket with a resigned smile. _Probably picked it up from the training grounds_ , Naru thought. "But my mental prowess failed me every time I made an attempt."

The consultation came to a halt. Naru scrunched his brows. _I have to approach this carefully so I don't cause the last straw. Suicidal people are all timed bombs. One mistake will cause them to explode. I already failed once when I let Kate jump off the roof **(8)** and I'd promised to never make the same mistake ever again._

Naru took a moment to gather up his thoughts, then he began hesitantly.

"I had a friend named Yarimizu Sawako. She was a kind girl. Hard-working, friendly, easy-going, and always had a bright smile on her face. She had a lot of friends and a nice boyfriend. Her life up to a certain point was great. Then, something happened that turned her life upside down. Her boyfriend betrayed her trust, her friends turned their backs on her, and everyone ganged up on her **(9)**."

"...What happened to her?"

"She was bullied every single day. Each methods crueler than the other. Physical abuse, mental abuse, verbal harassment... All came from the people she considered 'friends.'" Naru clenched his fist in anger. "They took pictures of her naked body, forced her to do humiliating things, destroyed her treasures, toyed with her feelings over and over again... No one understood her. The teacher practically said 'just endure it. Time can solve everything.' Her parents weren't supportive either. And one day, Sawako was finally fed up with everything. And she attempted to kill herself."

The silence was unsettling. There wasn't even the sound of breathing.

"...And?" Aki said slowly, as if fearing the answer.

"She was stopped by her mom. Her parents finally realized how much pain she was in."

"And did they help her fend off the bullies?"

"No," Naru shook his head. "She did it herself. She found a way to escape from the bullies."

"Where did she hid?"

Naru grinned at the boy's naivety. "By 'way' I mean a 'method.' She was talented in drawing and had once dreamed of becoming a mangaka, so she decided to draw everything into a manga. At first her mom doesn't agree with her career choice, but she gave in after seeing how much Sawako loves to draw. In the end, she stood up for herself against her bullies, and the manga she drew became an instant hit. I'm sure you know what happened afterwards."

"She became a popular mangaka."

"Yes."

"And you're telling me this because you want to motivate me into standing up for myself?"

"Hm...that's part of the reason. The main point I'm trying to convey is that a window will always open for you when a door closes. She, just like you, was bullied to the point of wanting to end her life, and she found solace in drawing. Maybe you can try it out sometimes. My other friend often say 'when you're feeling down, write a poem!' **(10)** Why don't you try that next time you're feeling down? Put your thoughts and feelings into a poem, and maybe you will feel better." Naru added with an afterthought. _Why not do a little advertising here?_ "You can even publish your poems, and maybe you'll ended up becoming even more popular than Nakamura Tenzoi!"

"Who's that?"

"He's a very popular poem writer. He often post poems on Konoha's News. You should check it out sometimes."

"Oh..." Aki seemed to be contemplating the suggestion. _Therapy-no-jutsu...success!_ Naru mentally cheered. "That sounds like a good idea. Thanks."

"No problem. Any time!"

"If I feel suicidal again...can I talk to you?" The boy seemed hesitant with his question, but his face broke into a grin when the blond smacked his head.

"What'd you take me for!? Of course we can talk! We're friends, aren't we?"

"Yeah, we're friends."

And so, a beautiful friendship was formed. But neither of them was ready for the event that will happen in two weeks of time.

* * *

 **(1) Kohina:** From the anime Gugure! Kokkuri-san. She considers herself a "doll", and loves cup of noodle.

 **(2) Devil Bats:** From the anime Eyeshield 21. It's the name of their school's American Football team (though in this case, it's not exactly _American_ lol). Hiruma is the captain and quarterback of the team. He is also extremely _evil_ , aka sly. Hell, he even looks like a devil!

 **(3) Magical Blood:** I will later post a one-shot of their adventure in the HP universe. If you want to understand more about how they gained magical abilities, you can read that and hopefully it'll answer your questions.

 **(4) Master Makarov:** From the anime Fairy Tail. He is the 3rd, 6th, and 8th Guild Master of the Fairy Tail Guild, as well as one of the Ten Wizard Saints. He often use his titan magic to stop the guild members from fighting.

 **(5) Magic:** This is the requip magic from the anime Fairy Tail. This magic allows the user to store items in a pocket dimension so they can easily summon it at any time, even during battle, which gives them a high level of flexibility in combat. It's like the 'backpack' feature in MMORPG games.

 **(6) Wave:** This is a Diagnostic Charm from the Harry Potter fandom. It's not an official spell, but it's commonly used in HP fanfictions. It tells the user the status of the patient's health.

 **(7) Yellow glow:** It's the Regeneration Magic that Kim Diehl had used from the anime Soul Eater. Since she's a witch and can use this magic, I suppose their counterparts, the sorcerers, can also use it. And as said before, magic is the same in all universe, therefore, Naruto has the ability to perform this. This magic allows the user to heal or restore others from injuries, ailments, poisoning, etc.

 **(8) Kate:** From the game Life Is Strange (a game based on choices). Kate Marsh was bullied and in one part of the game, you will have to talk her out of jumping off a building. There are 2 choices, you fail = she dies, or you succeed = she lives.

 **(9)** **Yarimizu Sawako:** The main character from the manga "Vitamin" by Suenobu Keiko. Strongly recommend this manga. If you're bullied, or ever have suicidal thoughts, please take a moment to read this (only 1 volume) and I hope you can become inspired by Sawako's story. You can read it on kissmanga. It's licensed on mangafox :(

 **(10) Poem:** In one episode of Soul Eater, Maka told a depressed Crona to write a poem and that can help him feel better.

There is also a Terror in Resonance and ERASED reference in there...not sure if you guys have caught them.

Gynophobia: fear of women (I'm surprised Naruto didn't get this after being brutally beaten up by females all the time in the anime. Seriously, anime females are scary...)

 **AN:** Geez, it's been like...four months since I last updated? Sorry. I'm not gonna lie to you. I stopped updating cuz I grew tired of writing constantly, and I need some days to come up with new ideas and anime references. Plus, the new animes are way too good. I strongly recommend **One Punch Man** and **ERASED/Boku dake ga Inai Machi**.

I know OPM is super popular and many hated it because of its hype and its obsessive fan base, of which I'm a proud member of. But please watch it before you judge. It's seriously very entertaining and different from the other shounen animes...(minus 3000 words of praises)

For ERASED, I advice you not to read any comments or forum discussions before you finish this anime, because you WILL GET SPOILED. And this is one of these animes that you would truly regret if you got spoiled. It ruins the whole fun ride. I'm not even gonna tell you what it's about, because that'll decrease the surprise & enjoyment you'll get. IMO, its hype-ness rivals OPM's!

...ahem. Alright, I'm calm now. Sorry about that fangirling lol

Anyway, due to real life (and laziness), my updating schedule will be sporadic. But if you guys remind me enough times, I'll remember I still have a fic that's ongoing and I'll come back to work on it. *hint hint*

Let's end this author notes with some recommendations!

 **"Hakumei" by Pryotra:** Danzo had successfully assassinated Sandaime, but he didn't expect 6 children to witness the event and escape Konoha before his reign of terror begins. In which Naruto, Sasuke, Hinata, Neji, Sakura, and Sai became wanted runaway children who raised themselves, became a family, and trained to become powerful enough so they can return to kill Danzo, the Godaime.

 **"True Potential" by DryBonesKing:** It all started with Shikamaru and Hinata supporting Naruto's Hokage dream during one class discussion, which changed their lives forever. Together, they will work hard, push each other, and unlock their true potential.

 **"Shadow and Wind: New Legends" by Sir-Shun:** Naruto and Shikamaru's lives take an unexpected turn. Follow the eccentric hero and the lazy genius on their journey to become legends. In which Naruto makes new friends, puts Sakura and Sasuke in their places, and...became legendary, basically (along with a lazy ass).


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